


Golden Giant

by bluecoffeemugs



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Bermuda Triangle, Bill Cipher Being Bill Cipher, Bill Cipher/Dipper Pines Fluff, BillDip, How Do I Tag, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Jealous Bill Cipher, M/M, Mild Gore, Pirate Bill Cipher, Siren Dipper Pines, Sorry Not Sorry, dipper is so innocent, not too much gore though, slight violence in some chapters, this got more attention than i thought, will i ever learn to tag? no, yet he has wit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2019-10-26 00:56:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17735969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluecoffeemugs/pseuds/bluecoffeemugs
Summary: Bill Cipher, the Golden Giant's captain is a known legend among pirates. He and his crew catch mythical and mystical creatures around the seven seas.Tonight, they will catch a creature no other pirate has ever captured before. Tonight, they catch a siren. However, this siren has more than just a pretty voice.Read the thrilling adventure to which they sail; to the Bermuda Triangle!





	1. Prologue

The gigantic ship swayed calmly over the ocean. The crew had just released the plank so the ship could remain in position. The captain got out of his room with a sly smirk on his face, ready to catch another creature. 

He had been living his entire life at the sea, until it slowly became his life as a whole. Since he was little, he had a certain type of curiosity about the supernatural and all the myths other pirates had told him throughout his life. When he eventually grew into a man worthy of a ship, he became the captain most know as Cipher, the man who is a mystery himself. He gathered a crew who was just as interested in the supernatural as he is, and are loyal and brave above all others. They all began to grow as a family, and even though the captain was superior to them, he cared for each of them just as a sibling of his. They had traveled around the globe and discovered many species others had no idea even existed. The captain learned about them and about their mystic powers, until he eventually sold them to other pirates or merchants. That’s how he got the ship he is standing on today, one of the biggest and most luxurious ships a pirate could ever wish for. Cipher himself became a legend, along with his crew and his magnificent ship, the Golden Giant.

The captain went downstairs to meet his crew who were already gathered in a circle and were loaded with their weapons. Some of them looked menacing, while others looked more innocent, but none of them were unequipped. They greeted their captain with cheers and others just smiled widely at him, the moonlight and oil lanterns being the only things that lit their faces. The captain returned the smile and joined the circle. he was wearing a tail-coat made of what looked like leather, a white button down shirt that was messy and not at all clean, black pants, a golden belt around his hips, carrying his gun, sword and other weapons, and leather boots that reached almost up his knees. He also had a fancy black pirate hat with a golden feather on it and some other jewels adoring it above his messy dirty blond hair.

“Tonight we catch another creature!” he spoke, his crew cheering in unison, “But not any mystical creature, no no no. As we speak, we are standing above fierce beasts that have forever lured infinite amounts of men to their deaths due to their magical voices and beautiful bodies. But we will be the first known pirates to ever defeat them by catching one of their species. Tonight we catch a siren!”

“Aye! Aye!” cheered the crew and punched their fists in the air.

“The creatures below us are incredibly dangerous, despite their actions and looks that may make us think otherwise. I will divide the crew into two, one party will stay guarding the ship, and the other will step into the rowboat with me. Not one party is more important than the other, as the sirens are powerful enough to step into the ship on their own, so both groups are equally brave and equally endangered.” Captain Cipher stated. Some of the crew felt a little unsettled by the statement, but none of them bailed.

“Kitty,” Cipher continued, looking at the man that appeared to be the toughest of all the crew, “you will be in charge of the ship. Bigfoot, Cain, Red, Onyx and Tiny will be staying here too.” 

The biggest man in the crew, a man with a scar across his face, a red-haired man, a woman with almost charcoal black skin, and a small boy nodded.

“That leaves Hellhound, Dagger, Cheat and Dawn with me,” a man with great muscles, a woman with multiple equipped knives, daggers and swords, a teenage boy and a beautiful-yet-tough-looking woman nodded in agreement, “Anyone opposes to this decision?” some of them shook their head no while the rest just waited for the captain to continue speaking.

“Good. Now, the creatures we are facing tonight are deadly, so for safety precautions, stuff your ears with cloth or anything that will block or muff the sound of their voices. if you wish to stay as you are, then be my guest, but I will not risk any of my men to save you from the tails of those monsters. At last, remember we are capturing the creatures, not killing them. Use deadly weapons as last resort, we want to study and sell these things, not eat them.” The captain said and the crew laughed.

“Was I clear?” Cipher asked with a much tougher tone than his last statement.

“Aye! Aye!” the crew cheered in unison.

“Was I clear?” the captain exclaimed louder.

“Aye! Aye!” the crew roared once again.

“Into position!”

The crew members that the captain chose to come with him stepped into the rowboat and were gently lowered by the party that staid on board.

They rowed a little further away from the ship and then stopped when they started to see some shadows under them. They were surrounded by huge boulders, where they also saw some movement. Adrenaline and nervousness was running through everyone’s veins, but the captain still smiled widely.  
They all had their ears shut by some kind of material, except for Cipher, he was wearing an enchanted necklace of black pearls that made him immune to the siren’s singing.

Soon enough, a ginger haired siren’s face came out of the water. All of the pirates were amazed by her beauty, but none of them moved, waiting for the captain’s orders. The siren swam closer to the rowboat, her eyes set on Cheat, the youngest one on the boat. She held a powerful gaze, which made the boy shiver, either because of her captivating beauty, or because he was the one the beast chose as her meal. The captain shot Cheat a look of confidence, which made the teenager feel a little better. When the siren was practically touching the ship, another siren came up to them. This one had curly, black hair and was staring straight at Dagger. A few seconds later, another siren came up, this one had darker skin and powerful blue eyes, swimming closer to Hellhound. The captain felt overwhelmed at the sudden appearances, but he never lost his calm. 

Then, the ginger haired siren got so close to the ship, she could easily grab Cheat and drown him in no time. But she froze at the sight of the swords, spears and fish nets.

“They’re hunters!” The siren yelled, making all the other beautiful sirens gasp and submerge back underwater. The ginger siren grabbed Cheat with her sharp, long nails and took him underwater. Hellhound threw himself forward and grabbed onto Cheat's legs. The siren's strength was immense, causing Hellhound to begin to sink. Dawn and Dagger grabbed Hellhound's torso and began to pull him inside the ship. In the meantime, Cipher loaded a crossbow and pointed to the spot where the siren was holding Cheat. 

"No, Sir! You can shoot Cheat!" Dawn exclaimed, distress filling her voice.

"Don't worry, sweetie," Cipher said calmly and shot the arrow. The movement below the water stopped. Hellhound pulled Cheat to the surface. The boy was unconscious. Dagger and Hellhound began trying to remove the water from the teen's lungs. 

"That was a huge risk, captain. With all due respect, but you shouldn't have done that. You could've missed and shot the boy!" Dawn yelled at the captain.

"I never miss," Cipher said with a dismissive look, making Dawn frown and turn away.

Cheat suddenly coughed water and took shaky breaths, beginning to shiver.

"Good to have you back," the captain said with a small smile as he took off his coat and handed it to the soaking wet teen. The boy took it, nodding a thank you.

Cipher sat down with a sigh and looked around. He ordered his crew to hide the weapons and the fish nets. Time passed by and no one showed up. They waited in silence, Cheat was almost completely dry now. The captain looked around once again and spotted eyes behind one of the boulders closest to them. When the eyes noticed the captain was looking at them, they hid behind the huge rock. Cipher stood up with a jolt and gestured his crew to look at the rock and be silent.

“Hello?” The captain said loudly with the kindest voice he could manage, “We won't hurt you.”  
Not seeing the eyes again, he sat back down and sighed. He looked at the rowboat’s wooden floor until one of the crew members gasped. Cipher looked up and saw the siren far away, right beside the boulder. He smiled and stood up again, “We are just curious about your kind, we don’t mean any harm!”

"I saw you shoot one of us," the siren said, still in the dark.

The crew looked at each other with wide eyes, but the captain remained calm, answering to the siren, "She was trying to drown one of us. You don't harm us, we don't harm you. Deal?"

The words lingered in the air, the creature didn't respond. Instead, he slowly came a little closer into view. The only thing clearly visible was its powerful eyes. 

When the siren was just a few feet away from the rowboat, they were all captivated by his beauty. They had never seen a merman, much less a male siren.

“Come closer," the captain said, leaning closer to the water, "Look, I have nothing on my hands,” Cipher said as he lift his hands up innocently. The siren indeed moved closer to them, intrigued by the sailors. The captain smiled at him, then turned to Hellhound and winked at him, which meant they had to wait for his signal and be prepared. 

The siren’s light blue tail was almost touching the rowboat’s wood. The siren looked about Cheat’s age. He had some splashes of tiny blue scales on his shoulders. He had brown hair and the most entrancing light brown eyes the captain had ever seen. His gaze was innocent and curious, he had never been so close to humans before. 

“Aren’t ya’ magnificent,” the captain whispered, completely lost in the siren’s gaze. However, he hadn’t forgotten what he was there for, so when the crew heard the code word, they launched the fishnet at the brunet siren. He screamed, startled by the sudden move. He tried to escape from the nets, but the crew lifted him up, and with a loud thump, the siren was on the boat. 

The captain had a large grin in his face, and he got closer to the siren. The siren wanted to scream louder and order them to release him, but when the captain figured what the siren was up to, he nodded to Hellhound. The man grabbed the syringe he was carrying and injected it to the creature. His sight blurring until it was completely dark.


	2. Chapter 2

The siren slowly began to regain consciousness. He gently began to open his eyes as he noticed he was at an unknown place surrounded by dark wooden walls. Panic starts to creep into his mind, he doesn’t remember how he got there. He realized he was inside a medium-sized tank filled with water. This made his head rest lazily outside the tank and his fins lay just above the water on the other end. He adjusted his posture, making his entire tail sink under the water and almost all his human half outside it. The siren looked around curiously, but still felt goosebumps over all his skin. He observed every little detail, trying to understand better where he was. There was a dark, wooden desk beside him, filled with papers, maps, piled books, and quills. There was also an untidy bed on the other side of the room, and some luxurious-looking chairs beside a tall bookshelf.

Memories started to come back to him about what had happened last night. Pirates, a rowboat, a fishing net, and a cold feeling rushing through his veins. He gasped, horrified, pulling his tail closer to him as an instinct. He must be on the pirate’s ship.

The room’s door burst open, revealing a tall, blond man on the other side. The siren remembered him instantly, he was the pirate who tricked him.

“Looks like the kid’s awake now,” the man on the other side of the room said as he closed the door behind him, “how was your sleep?”

The siren gulped, words failing. He had never been good at talking, unlike his twin sister Mabel. Out of the two of them, he was better at thinking than acting. 

“I thought sirens had majestic voices,” the pirate said in a casual tone as he stepped closer to the tank, “I only heard yours once.”

Suddenly, the siren’s fear turned into rage. “You lied!” the creature said, splashing water to the blond when he was close enough. Surprisingly, the pirate wasn’t at all upset, instead, he just grinned and flicked the water off his face with his hand. The siren returned to holding his tail, out of all reactions the man could’ve had, he certainly didn’t expect delight.

“I didn’t lie,” the blond said, getting closer to the siren and sitting down on top of his desk, not minding all the papers that were spread across it.

“You said you weren’t gonna hurt me!” the siren exclaimed, fear and anger evident in his voice. 

“And have I?” the pirate said with a smirk, leaving the question to linger. The siren was confused, but he immediately realized the pirate was right, mentally facepalming himself for being so naive. “I could’ve knocked you out with a punch and rip some of your pretty blue scales for my jewelry, but I didn’t.” 

The siren blinked, he didn’t know what to say. How did he not see that coming? All because of his god damned curiosity. Since he was little, his family had told him that curiosity was a good thing, but whenever he was too curious, it would get the best of him. He never thought too much of it, until this happened, and in his mind, it couldn’t get any worse.

“Let me introduce myself properly,” the blond man said as he stood up and did a small reverence, more sarcastic than honest, but the siren obviously didn’t know that., “I am captain Bill Cipher, in full command of the Golden Giant,” he gestured the room around them, “I investigate and sell mystical creatures.”

And it got worse. The siren felt a wave uneasiness about the fact that he was going to be sold to god knows who.

“To whom do you sell creatures like me?” the siren asked in a low whisper, but still determined.

“To whomever offers the most gold,” Cipher exclaimed, lifting his hands up and walking over to his bookshelf, “You see, some merchants and pirates buy creatures like you for research, experimentation, to keep as pets or just to hunt them for fun,” Bill said as if those words meant nothing, making the siren gulp and feel much more unsettled than he already was.

“You have no idea how much you’re worth,” the captain continued and stalked closer to the creature once again, “no one has ever caught a siren before, much less a male one. Male species aren’t common underwater.”

“What do you mean we’re not common?” said the siren indignant, although his voice was still barely audible. “There are as many males as there are females, it’s just that we males don’t go to the surface often. Women do the hunting.” The creature wasn’t sure why he wanted to explain this to the human standing in front of him, but he did before he thought too much of it.

“Leave the work to women, I see. Creatures are sexist underwater too, huh?” Cipher replied with a smirk, sitting on top of his desk again.

The siren scoffed and crossed his arms in front of him. Humans were just as dumb as the other sirens had told him before, weren’t they? Hell, humans get so incredibly entranced in outside beauty, that they don’t realize they are the prey. Not even as they are pulled into the deepness of the ocean, their lungs slowly giving in and starting to fill with water. Not even then would these species understand anything.

“You wouldn’t understand,” the siren huffed simply, looking away from the pirate’s cognac eyes.

“Try me,” demanded the captain.

The siren sighed and looked at the blond, “We discovered that pirates are mostly affected and lured into their deaths if the siren is a female.”

“What about the female pirates?” the captain asked curiously.

“You’d be surprised how many female pirates fall for female sirens,” the boy finished explaining. An awkward silence filled the room, although Cipher still had a smirk planted on his face.

“Introduce yourself,” the blond ordered, changing the subject abruptly.

“And why would I do that?” the siren said stubbornly, but he instantly regretted it when the pirate shot him a menacing look, “My name is Dipper.”

“How old are you, Dipper?” Cipher asked, slipping off his desk and getting a little closer to the tank, looking interestedly at Dipper’s eyes.

“I believe that in human years, eighteen years old,” Dipper answered, goosebumps still present on his skin.

“Alright then, I’ll leave you here. I have a ship to run,” Cipher said, breaking his powerful gaze, “don’t get too comfortable, in about a week we’ll be arriving at Tortuga, where we sell your kind,” the man walked over to the door and about to reach for the door handle to leave.

“Wait!” Dipper exclaimed, making the man turn around, “Please don’t sell me, I swear I’ll do anything!” the boy pleaded, he preferred being in a ship filled with pirates that didn’t want to skin him alive. 

“I just want the money, kid,” the blond shrugged, his smirk still present. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing you can do to change my mind.” He turned back to open the door, but he was once again interrupted by the siren.

“How about a deal?” Dipper asked, hoping to catch Cipher’s interest.

“I’m listening,” the captain said, slowly turning his head to the siren.

“You’ve always been interested in the unknown, haven’t you?” 

The blond’s smirk clearly visible when he turned around completely and walked over to the siren’s tank, “Quite a smart siren, you are.”

“We’re smarter than humans,” Dipper rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Don’t get your hopes up kid, some of us are smarter than you think,” replied Cipher, his smirk turning into a grin across his face. “Anyways, what’s the deal?”

“I have heard about a place that is believed to be another world,” Dipper explained, his tone low and steady, trying to captivate Cipher’s attention so he would be much more interested to take the deal. “It is said that there’s a portal in the middle of the sea that takes you to this mystical place. Many creatures and humans have failed to enter, and the lucky ones who do have never come back. I can take you.” 

“What is this world’s name?” The blond said, interested, sitting at his usual spot on his desk and not looking away from Dippers light brown eyes.

“As the world on the other side is just a myth, for now, it doesn’t have a name yet. If you discover it and are able to return, you will have the prodigy of naming it,” Dipper continued, using all of the most convincing words he could manage. He could notice his tactic was working as the captain’s eyes seemed to sparkle when he mentioned naming such place. “However, the portal’s name is the Bermuda Triangle.”

“I have heard that name before,” Cipher’s sparkles in his eyes died when Dipper mentioned that name, “it is the place where entire ships disappear into nothingness.” 

Dipper simply nodded, not knowing what else to say. The captain continued talking, trying to spot any loophole in the deal. “How do I know you’re not tricking me? That you’re not driving my entire ship and crew to our deaths, just like your kind do to every pirate?”

The siren remained silent for a few seconds, his mind speeding over a hundred miles per hour until he could come up with a convincing reason that would make the pirate take the deal.

“Firstly, because you kept your promise of not harming me. Secondly, because if I tried to drive your crew to their deaths, I would get killed too, and I don’t want to die. And lastly, because I’m just as curious to see what’s on the other side as you.”

“On one condition,” the captain replied after digesting all of the information the siren had said so quickly.

“You will become a member of my crew, with all of its implications. That means you are to remain loyal, honest, brave, and work for me and my ship. No turnbacks. If you shall disobey any of my commands, or betray a single one of us, your death will be so slow, you would’ve wished you had never taken this deal.”

Dipper gulped and looked at Cipher with wide eyes. This was the only moment that would mark his life. 

“Do we have a deal?” The blonde asked impatiently.

“Will you keep your promise of not harming me?”

“I will not harm you,” stated the captain.

“And neither will your crew or any of your men.”

Cipher grinned, the siren was indeed smart, “And neither will my crew:”

Dipper hesitated, but then muttered the single word that marked him for his life, “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're liking the story so far, I'll try to make the next chapters longer :)


	3. Chapter 3

“Alright, I’ll go tell the others,” Cipher said with one last smirk, turning around and walking out the room. Dipper blinked a few times, still processing what had just happened. 

He became aware of how warm the water from his tank was compared to the coldness of the ocean. The smell of wood surrounded him, and there were a few rays of sunshine coming from outside the window and into the room, leaving an uneven shadow on the old desk. 

He touched his hair, noticing that it was completely dry, which was a completely new feeling for him. His face was also dry, however, it still felt cold due to him being a cold-blooded creature. Then his hand traveled down to his neck, only then becoming aware of the black-pearl necklace he was wearing. It wasn’t his, but he admired its beauty nonetheless. Until he remembered what those pears were for. 

His Grunkles had taught him about magic and enchanted objects since he was little, so the knew exactly what that necklace was. It was meant for the user to be able to hear the sirens’ enchanted voices without becoming cursed. Only that this time, a siren was the one wearing it. Once again Cipher perfectly proved his intelligence. 

“I see you finally noticed my necklace,” said the captain, walking back into the room with a bunch of clothes held close to his chest. He laid them down on his bed and then paced around the room. “I figured it was easier to shut one siren up instead of deafening my whole crew.”

Dipper tried to take the necklace off, fumbling his fingers around it. 

Cipher got closer to the tank, smiling to himself, “You won’t be able to take it off, dummy, I cast an incantation in it. Only I can take it off.”

Dipper growled in disgust and put his arms down, giving up. The captain turned on his heel and walked over to one of his bookshelves, his back facing Dipper. 

Then, as if it were the most usual thing, he opened his bookshelf in half, revealing a dimmer bookshelf behind it. It was filled with shiny and mysterious objects, different-shaped bottles containing colorful liquids, and some very menacing-looking weapons. 

“Tell me, kid,” Cipher began, still looking through his magical shelves, “have you ever wondered what having legs felt like?”

“Of course I have,” replied Dipper almost immediately, then regretting his tone’s eagerness. He cleared his throat, replying with a much more neutral voice, “but it’s impossible.”

“Oh, but what if I told you, nothing is impossible,” Cipher said with a small laugh.

Dipper’s mind began racing a thousand miles per hour. What did this human mean? How can he turn a siren into a human? It is literally impossible. Almost as impossible as turning a human into a siren. Unless, if he were to use reverse magic, just as he did with the pearl necklace…

“There’s no way—” the siren’s eyes widened as he realized what the captain meant.

“Sure there is,” Cipher said, slowly turning around, holding a golden shell in the palm of his hand.

“I didn’t know it worked both ways,” Dipper said, still astonished. 

Cipher came closer to the siren, they were now face to face, only the tank dividing them. “You have no idea how much of my trust I’m giving to you right now,” the captain began, taking off a necklace he was wearing and separating the bead from the leather chain, “this is the only golden shell that has been found for ages,” he then grabbed the golden shell and carefully put it in the leather chain, “If you were to lose it, you’ll automatically lose my trust with it, breaking the deal.” 

Finally, Cipher put the necklace slowly around Dipper’s neck, “You’ll change back whenever you desire, but you can only transform once every twenty-four hours.”

Dipper nodded, taking the magical shell in his hand, admiring its beauty. Suddenly, and without a warning, it started glowing so bright the siren and the captain had to shut their eyes. When the light faded, they were able to open their eyes, revealing two legs almost completely outside the siren’s tank. Dipper blinked in amusement, a smile creeping into his face.

The captain stood up and took a few steps back, contemplating the creature that now looked like any other human. A smile also forming in his lips as he exclaimed, “It worked!”

The two of them started to laugh, still not believing their eyes. Dipper hesitantly touched his legs, jumping right when he felt his fingers touch them. It was such a weird sensation, having two more limbs below his upper half. He then started to move his feet’s fingers, much more excitedly.

A few moments later, Cipher cleared his throat, “Alright, enough of this nonsense. Here are some clothes Cheat let you borrow. Put them on and then meet me outside.”

“But I don’t know how to walk!” Dipper said before Cipher was out the room.

“Then you better learn how to,” Cipher said and left the room without hesitation.

Dipper stared at his legs, completely confused on how to use them. He decided on putting them back inside the tank, and very, very slowly he stood up. Of course, it took a few tried before he got it, but he eventually stood up. Balance was key, but he had never needed balance before, gravity was a completely new feeling for him. So he didn’t actually stand up straight at first, his knees were shaky and remained flexed. Now, it was time to get out of the tank. He grabbed one of its walls and tried to place one of his feet in the other side, but as soon as he tried standing on one leg, he lost his balance, sending the entire tank to collapse on to the floor. A crashing noise filled the room, as well as all the water that slowly spilled across the floor. Dipper was left laying in the middle of the room, his right arm aching from the bad landing. The captain was going to kill him for this. 

Dipper tried to stand up once again, but then he noticed there were some pieces of glass around the room, which explained why his right arm was bleeding and his legs were scratched. 

“Is everything oka— Oh god,” said a female voice Dipper didn’t quite recognize. 

The brunette rushed over to the boy and reached over. She grabbed his left arm and legs, carrying him across the room and laying him on the captain’s bed and covering him with a blanket. He was amazed by her strength, as not even he could stand by himself.

“Let me guess, the captain left you alone and told you to walk by yourself, didn’t he?” She said as she reached down the bed and grabbed a wooden box.

Dipper simply nodded, words failing once again. Everything just happened so fast.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll patch you up and you’ll be ready to go,” she continued with a kind smile, unlike Cipher’s grin. She gave Dipper a safe feeling, one that he hadn’t felt since he was in the ocean. 

“What’s your name?” She asked the siren as she carefully cleaned his cut and wrapped it in gauze.

“Dipper,” he answered in a low whisper, watching the woman work silently.

“Huh, as in the constellation?” She guessed, interested in the unusual name.

“Yes,” Dipper said, smiling faintly. The brunette looked at him with a warm smile, she had splashes of freckles all over her face, and her green eyes looked like none other Dipper had ever seen.

“I’m Dawn,” she replied, also smiling at the siren.

“As in the opposite of dusk?” He questioned.

“Yes,” Dawn stated, laughing softly, “it’s nice to meet you Dipper. You’re as good as new.” She closed the box and placed it below the bed once again.

“Thank you,” he replied quietly, observing his arm closely. 

Dawn stood up and carefully began grabbing the glass pieces that were scattered across the floor and placed them on the desk.

“Now, I know a moving ship is not the best place to learn how to walk,” Dawn began, walking back to Dipper, “but in the bright side if you’re able to walk here you’ll be able to walk anywhere!”

Dipper gave her a shy smile, waiting for her to help him stand.  
“But first you need to get changed, you can’t walk around naked,” she handed Dipper the clothes Cipher had placed on the bed beforehand. He put on the loose, beige shirt that was a little big for him. Then, Dawn gave him the brown shorts and turned around and.

“Why do you turn around?” Dipper asked, obviously confused.

“Well, I suppose sirens don’t know, but it’s called privacy,” Dawn said, her back still facing the boy.

“And why would you give me privacy?” he asked, still not understanding her weird behavior.

“Well, humans have some body parts that are considered ‘private’ and I respect yours even though you don’t know they are,” Dawn stated calmly.

“Do you mean the—“ Dipper began saying innocently, but he was interrupted by the pirate.

“—You know what, curious boy? I don’t want to give you this conversation, ask any other crew member. Preferably a male one.”

Dipper frowned and struggled as he put the brown shorts on, which were almost as loose as the shirt. After he finally did it, he told Dawn he was done and she turned to face him once again.

“Now, sit on the edge of the bed,” Dawn instructed. The boy made a sudden movement and almost fell off it, but thanks to Dawn’s incredible reflexes, she grabbed him before he was able to fall. 

“Slow and steady, boy, we’re not in a rush,” she suggested, helping him sit down properly. 

“Okay, place both of your feet flat on the floor,” she continued, Dipper doing as he was told, “use my arms as support. Now just, impulse your body forwards a little and stand. As easy as it sounds.” 

Dipper grabbed her arms gently, then hesitated. He tried standing, but he failed.  
“I’m not going to break,” Dawn comforted, “you can grab me harder, it’ll help you stand.”

Dipper gave her another sheepish smile, looking down at his feet. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He boosted forward, using Dawn’s arms for support, and stood. He actually stood.

Dawn smiled widely, and shortly after, Dipper did the same. 

“Amazing!” She exclaimed, “Great job, Dipper! Now try standing more upright.”

Dipper straightened his knees and back, and he quickly stopped trembling. Dawn gave him another broad smile. 

“We’re going to walk now, ready?” Dawn said, and without a warning she started taking steps back, making Dipper immediately follow behind.

Dipper was too shocked to notice he was walking. He no longer needed to think about moving his feet, they seemed to move by themselves.

He and Dawn began pacing around the room, starting to laugh in amusement. Suddenly, Dawn removed her arms and took quick steps back, forcing Dipper to walk on his own. She did it so quickly, Dipper didn’t even realize he took a few steps by himself. Dawn cheered and clapped, Dipper was filled with joy.

A few minutes later, Dipper was able to walk around fully on his own. Sometimes the ship would make a sudden sway that made him tumble a few steps back, but he just laughed and he continued his way. The boy started to do twirls and turns, he even began o jump, quite unevenly and chaotically, but he was having fun with his new legs and feet. 

Out of nowhere, the room’s wooden door burst open, making the boy and Dawn jump. Cipher looked at Dipper up and down, expressionless. Then, he saw the smashed tank and sighed, “Looks like you can’t even do one thing correctly by yourself.”

Dawn looked menacingly at the captain, making him release another heavy breath, “Anyways, at least you’re walking around on your own,” he said, causing Dawn to roll her eyes, “come on, kid, you gotta meet the crew.”


	4. Chapter 4

The three of them stepped out of the captain’s cabin and were suddenly surrounded by nine men and women, all completely different, but every single one looked frightening to Dipper. The crew looked directly at the siren, silent, some grinning widely, others just staring, giving him the chills. 

“So!” Cipher stepped up, his men switching their attention to him and straightening their backs, “Mind introducing yourselves to our new friend?” 

“How can you trust it, captain?” Exclaimed a man that had a large scar across his face, “For all we know, this creature is not an ally, much less a friend.” 

Dipper looked down and took a mindless step back. Dawn put her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. Dipper flinched at her touch, but when he realized it was her, he was thankful she was there. 

“We worked out a deal. Didn’t we, kid?” Cipher replied, looking Dipper, making him look up from the floor. He just silently nodded in response.

“The creature would be much more useful if we sold it,” the scar-faced man continued, taking everyone’s attention. “It will only be eating our food, using our clothes, and sleeping in our beds. Do we really want that?” 

The crew started to murmur between themselves, leaving a very pissed captain to watch them as they whispered.

“Enough!” Cipher snapped loudly, “If you are unsatisfied with my decision, you are more than welcomed to jump out of my ship. Now.” 

The man gulped and clenched his jaw, looking down to the floor. “My apologies, captain.” 

“That’s what I thought,” Cipher said with a small smirk. Then, he continued to speak, “Introduce yourselves!”

The crew began to shoot glares between themselves, not knowing who was going to begin. After a few seconds of uncomfortable glances and whispers, someone spoke up.

“I’m Hellhound, captain’s First Mate,” said a man in his early 20s, with wavy black hair, mostly covered by his dark brown pirate hat, and a face full of tiny moles. Dipper looked at him for a moment, he appeared to be a kind man, but it was clear the man didn’t trust him yet.

“Bigfoot,” said a large, bald man with a round face and a thick beard, “the cook.”

“Dagger,” continued a pale young woman, who seemed to be Asian, with medium-length, slick black hair, “I like sharp weapons.”

Dipper gulped as he saw all the different knives, daggers and swords the woman was carrying around her waist, “Noted.”

“You can call me Red,” stated a smiley red-haired boy, he seemed to be in his 20s, and had his faced covered with freckles, “I… do the research?” He looked at the captain doubtfully, hoping for his approval. Cipher shrugged a ‘why not’, and Red confirmed gladly, “I do the research.”

“My name is Onyx,” said a woman in her late 20s with almost charcoal black skin, her hair was almost completely shaved with a beautiful, tribal pattern, “Sailing Master of the ship.”

“Kitty,” said the man who appeared to be the eldest and toughest of the crew, “guard and lookout.”

“I’m Tiny,” said a little boy, “Yeah, I’m the youngest of the crew so, I guess I really am tiny.” This made Dipper giggle, causing Tiny to break into a bright smile, “I’m twelve, so I still have no official job in the crew. I just help whoever needs my help!” Dipper looked around, most of the crew was smiling now too.

“Call me Cheat,” stated the next crew member, he was about Dipper’s age, he had wild brown hair, small brown eyes, and a smirk that looked too familiar, “I clean the weapons—”

“—And the dishes!“ Interrupted Tiny with a laugh, making everyone else laugh too.

“Shut up, gnome,” exclaimed Cheat, embarrassed, “I prepare the weapons for battle and expeditions. And as the helpful angel I am, I also help Bigfoot in the kitchen.”

There were a few seconds of silence until the last person spoke up, “Cain,” said the man with the scar across his face, “Gunman.”

“Excellent!” the captain roared.

“But he didn’t introduce himself, captain!” Claimed Tiny as he jumped in excitement.

“Right,” the captain replied and looked at the siren, “kid, state who you are.”

“I’m Dipper,” he tried not to look as nervous as he was, so he took a deep breath and pushed his shoulders back, “Siren of the great Pacific, ready to become a loyal member of the crew.” Almost all members of the crew cheered in unison. 

“Now, it’s time for the initiation!” Cipher shouted.

“Aye aye!” the crew cheered in response and scattered around, each one taking something out from a secret cabinet somewhere in the ship. 

“Initiation?” Dipper asked Bill nervously as he saw what the crew was constructing in front of him.

“We all did it once, it’s how we signed the loyalty contract,” Hellhound said as he made a fire on a weird type of stone box to keep it from setting fire to the ship.

“What’s the fire for?!” Dipper said, increasing his worry. 

Bill just looked at him unamused, “You’ll see, kid.”

Then Dagger came up to Bill and gave him a branding iron with a triangle on the tip.

“No! no, no, no,” Dipper began to deny, his heart racing, “you swore not to hurt me!”

“You swore to become a member of my crew, ‘with all of its implications’, and this is how you become one of us.” Cipher said with a grin, “It is not for the sole purpose of ‘hurting’, it is meant to be a symbol of bravery, for our crew to be made up of warriors, not cowards.”

What had Dipper put himself into?

“Don’t worry Dipper!” Tiny said joyful, “It only hurts for some time, but then it’s just a scar. A mark of bravery and loyalty to the Golden Giant!” Tiny put his right leg in front of him and pointed at his calf, which had a triangle-shaped scar.

The siren gulped, not sure if he felt a bit relieved, or even more scared now. Then, one by one, each crew member revealed their own scars. Some had them on different parts of their arm, others on their stomach, others on their backs. And Bill, he was the only one who had it on his chest, right where his heart was supposed to be.

“Now it’s your turn,” Bill said as he laid the branding iron on the fire.

“I— I don’t know if I can do this,” Dipper said cowardly, “I’ve never been burnt in my life before, not even by the sun itself!” 

Some crewmen thought for a moment at this statement, it made sense for the boy to be so scared. However, Cipher didn’t care just one bit. “It’ll be over fast, just do _not_ move. At all.” He then proceeded to nod, making Kitty and Bigfoot step up to the siren. 

“Where do you want the mark?” 

“I don’t know!” The boy exclaimed in horror, “On the side of the shoulder, maybe?” Right as he said that, the two large men gripped his arms tightly. Kitty carefully unbuttoned Dippers shirt and revealed the spot he mentioned.

Bill smiled to himself and carefully took out the branding iron, revealing a glowing hot triangle. Dipper kept denying and pleading them to stop, but it just resulted in Kitty and Bigfoot to tighten their grip. Bill got closer, he caressed the skin he was about to burn, making Dipper flinch at the sudden touch. Without a warning, Bill pushed the scorching iron into Dipper’s skin. The boy screamed as the unknown, stinging sensation covered his skin. He wanted it to stop. It had to stop. He jumped abruptly, making Bill accidentally move the burning iron a few centimeters below where he placed it first. The sensation continued. It was too much for the siren. His skin was not made for burning. The pain was indescribable for him, it felt like hours of torture, even though it was just for a few seconds. Before he knew it, his eyes began to tear. Suddenly, Cipher pulled out the burning iron from his skin, and the two men holding the boy let go of him. Dipper immediately fell to the ground, he completely lost his strength. Dawn rushed to help him up, Dipper almost fainting.

“Someone bring him some water, now!” She yelled. Red ran toward a staircase that leads to the kitchen below the main deck. “You burned him longer than you needed to!” She complained angrily at the captain.

“The kid moved when I told him not to,” the captain said dismissively.

“So you just punished him by making him suffer double?!” She continued furiously. Red came rushing back and gave Dipper a glass bottle of water. He drank it up and then splashed some of the water into his burnt skin, wincing at the sensation. 

“I fixed what he screwed up,” he replied, not bothering to look at her eyes.

“He was in pain, Cipher!” She demanded.

“And? He needs to learn to follow orders,” the captain said, finally looking right into her green eyes menacingly. She was about to speak up again, but he interrupted her before she could, “You are dismissed, Miss Dawn.”

She looked at him with disgust, then turned around and left.

Then, Cipher looked at the siren, glancing at his new scar. There were two triangles, one a few centimeters right below the other. 

“You know what that looks like?” He said with his usual smirk, not minding the fact that he just made the boy go through the most painful moment of his life until now. Dipper shrugged.

“A Pine Tree.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're liking the story! Feel free to comment, I really love to read what you guys think :)


	5. Chapter 5

For the next few days, Dipper had been trying out different jobs on the ship, each one was explained and carried out with their respective crew member. It wasn’t hard for him to adjust to the new living conditions, and it wasn’t hard for the crew to like him in a very short time period. They were mostly curious about the siren, and they were amazed by how quickly he caught up on things, as he was a very fast learner. And well, Dipper was just as curious as the crew members were, so they both enjoyed the conversations.  
It turned out Dipper was absolutely marvelous on every single job Bill threw at him, much to Bill’s dislike. Of course, the captain honored his word of not hurting Dipper, but it would’ve been a lot of fun to watch the siren struggle as the literal “fish out of the water” he was. Dipper was great at everything, from mopping floors and cleaning dishes and guns with his delicate hands, to orientating and sailing the ship accordingly (along with Onyx’s supervision of course). For now, he would be helping any member of the crew who needed it, but he would mostly be spending his time with Red. The ginger-haired boy was fascinated with the siren, and Dipper was more than happy to tell the boy about siren anatomy and history, as he got human facts in return.

At the moment, the Golden Giant was heading to Tortuga, which was an island Cipher had mentioned multiple times over the past few days. To what Dipper had understood, it was a dream and a nightmare at the same time, which only confused him more. The crew had told fun stories about other times they had gone to Tortuga. Like the time Cheat got so drunk, he began to dance on top of the most famous bar’s tables, only to start an actual pirate dance-off. Or that other time the captain confused a Good Luck potion he was going to use to cheat at a poker game with a Good Boy potion, that literally turned him into the sweetest, most innocent guy the crew had ever seen.

“How many times do I have to tell you,” Cipher said angrily, face hot with embarrassment, as the others were in the verge of tears from laughter, “if I hear you talk about that again, I’ll skin you alive!” He told the slightly-drunken crew.

“You’ve told us that so many times, it’s highly unlikely you’ll go through with it.” Hellhound said in between shaky breaths from the laughter. Everyone laughed again, slapping their hands on the table and clapping. Dipper was trying so hard not to giggle, as he was right beside the captain.

“Come on Cap!” Onyx exclaimed before Cipher threatened Hellhound again, “Don’t be so grumpy, take a sip of the rum and join us!”

“I have better things to do than talking to a bunch of drunk pirates,” the captain said, turning on his heel and heading toward his cabin. 

“You know, sometimes I miss captain Good Boy,” Cheat said, not expecting Cipher to turn back sharply and sit down on the spare wooden chair at the head of the table, Cheat and Dipper at his sides. 

“Yeah, sometimes I miss when you didn’t know how to talk, yet here we are,” the captain stated, taking a swing from the rum Onyx was holding. Of course, everyone laughed, but an awkward feeling in the air lingered. It had been a long time since the captain sat down to have dinner and drink with them. They had forgotten he was just like them, a little-more-than-slightly alcoholic pirate.

“Been a long time since we saw yeh sittin’ with us, captain!” Exclaimed Kitty with a grin as he lifted his cup, “Cheers to yeh!” 

Cipher couldn’t lie, he loved when his crew showed him this admiration, almost like they worshiped him. But well, who wouldn’t worship captain Bill Cipher? He was one of the most admirable pirates there were. His crew was so damn lucky to have him as their captain.

Cipher only smiled slightly and lifted the whole rum bottle in return. Everyone else lifted their own cups and yelled “Cheers!”, before chugging large amounts of alcohol. Dipper drank from his cup, filled with water, as he had never tried any alcohol before and didn’t wish to try it any time soon.

The awkward air was gone very soon, as the captain had begun to share his own fun stories from Tortuga. Dipper’s cheeks began to hurt from laughter and overall smiling at the intriguing tales. Most of the crew was halfway to almost completely drunk. Cipher chugged all of what was left in the rum bottle, making Onyx a little mad, but he only laughed at her. He was one of whom actually drank the most that night, but he never lost his composure, he was just much more smiley than usual; and that was a lot. 

“Say, Dipper, you drunk yet?” Cheat asked him, Dipper could see the red in Cheat’s eyes even with the little amount of light they had.

“I haven’t drunk anything, actually,” Dipper said, a little nervously.

The whole table was filled with gasps and babbles and “no way!”s.

Cipher had a mischievous look on his face, and when he turned to look at the siren, Dipper shivered. “Bigfoot! Pass me the Brilliant Vodka!”

“Uh sir,” Tiny blurted, “he passed out.”

The remaining crew chuckled once again, but Cipher just groaned. “Tiny, you’re not drunk, are you?” 

“You told me I couldn’t get drunk ’til I’m fourteen!” Tiny exclaimed.

“Excellent decision, past me,” the captain said, grinning as he puffed his chest. Apparently, he was amazingly pleased about being himself, “Tiny, you know where the Brilliant Vodka is, right?”

“Only Bigfoot knows! It’s his secret recipe!” Tiny shouted from the other end of the table.

“I won’t tell him you know,” Cipher said with a wink, making Tiny smile widely and jump from his seat.

“What’s Brilliant Vodka?” Dipper turned to Bill, but the man just kept grinning. 

“Wait ’til you taste it,” Hellhound said, “one sip is never enough. It’s a best seller in Tortuga, actually. That’s what Bigfoot’s really known for.”

“Makes the best Vodka in town, or well, around the seven seas,” Cipher said, impatient for Tiny’s return.

Shortly after, Tiny came back clutching a large bottle containing a transparent liquid. Bill took it from his small hands and messed the little boy’s hair, making him giggle. He opened the bottle and sniffed it, making a satisfying noise, then he took a gulp. Cipher smirked as he grabbed an empty cup from the table and poured a very large amount of the liquid into it. 

“Go on, Pine Tree,” Cipher said as he handed Dipper the cup, “drink it empty.”

The crew cheered in return, slamming their hands on the table, making it tremble. It almost sounded like a drum roll, the noise making Dipper anxious and overall nervous. But he couldn’t say he wasn’t excited. A siren, being encouraged to demonstrate basic pirate behavior? It sounded impossible.

He hesitantly grabbed the cup, earning louder cheers, and he drank. The first sip made him cough horribly, was that what alcohol tasted like? Was this really what pirates spent most of their money on?

“I said,” Cipher said as he rose from his seat to stand right beside Dipper, “drink. it. empty.” He took the cup Dipper was still gripping, forcefully placing it back in his mouth and tilting it, making the siren hurriedly gulp the liquid so he didn’t spill it all over his face and clothes.

Again, the crew cheered and clapped until the cup was completely empty. Cipher removed it from Dipper’s mouth and slammed it on the table. The captain was so happy with himself he didn’t even notice Dipper’s dazed expression. He had never drunken any type of alcohol, let alone that huge amount. His head was spinning, he closed his eyes and placed both hands on his face. Hellhound and Bill laughed at this, Dawn wasn’t too happy about it, but she didn’t try to stop it either. 

“How was it, Pine Tree?” Bill asked, obviously enjoying the outcome.

“I—“ Dipper tried to form words, but it just made him more nauseous. His throat ached in a way he couldn’t explain. He felt as if he had swallowed a bullet, even though he had never actually swallowed a bullet before, that’s the best way he could explain it.

Naturally, the crew only laughed, making Cipher only more pleased. To Dipper, the noise was now way louder than it was before. His head had began to hurt too, he couldn’t be there much longer. He stood up, or at least he tried to, before slumping back down his seat.

“Where you goin’, Pine Tree?” Cipher’s words rang in his ears, “It’s too early to leave the party.”

“I— I think I’ll go to sleep now.” Dipper actually stood up this time, but he kept stumbling on his feet as he tried to make his way to the beds.

Cipher sighed and rolled his eyes, “Tiny, give him a few drops of the Alcodote.”

“Are you sure, cap? We are running low on—“

“—Yeah just,” he pinched the bridge of his nose, “I’ll buy more at Tortuga.”

“Aye aye!” Tiny said and took off to help Dipper out.

The boy guided Dipper safely to his bed, then handed him a small, weird-looking bottle. Dipper was about to question what it was but was interrupted.

“It’s called Alcodote, short for Alcohol Antidote, it’s supposed to make you feel better, less drunk,” Tiny said, carefully opening the dropper bottle, revealing a glass pipette. “The cap said to give you a few drops.”

“Really?” Dipper asked, trying to think if hallucinating things could be a side effect from the Vodka.

“Yeah!” Tiny exclaimed with a smile, “Now, open your mouth, there are only some drops left, you don’t want to miss them.”

Dipper did as told. As the few drops hit his tongue and slid down his throat he began to feel so much better. Well, the antidote was obviously made up of something magic, but he hadn’t expected it to work so soon.

“I feel much better now, Tiny,” he said, with a genuine smile. Tiny smiled back, “thank you. And, tell the captain thank you too.”

With that, Dipper rolled to his side on the bed and was fast asleep. Tiny skipped back to the table and told Cipher what Dipper had said. Crew members gave him suggestive looks, while others tried to keep the laughter in. 

“Remember the contract, boys,” Cipher stated as he shot his crew a menacing glance. Although he explained his decision with a good reason, to some crew members it sounded more like an excuse. Seconds later, Cipher stood up, and walked away from the table, closing his cabin’s door shortly after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry if this felt more like a filler chapter, next one's gonna so much better I promise, I just needed to make a little transition from the very beginning to the actual good stuff, hopefully you stick around. 
> 
> Remember, I read all your comments, I absolutely love them, so tell me! It feels great to read your reactions and well, really whatever you wanna say about this fic. 
> 
> I appreciate you having patience, next chap's gonna be better :)


	6. Chapter 6

“So why humans?” Red asked as he concentrated on the picture he was currently sketching, “Can’t you guys just eat other fishes? Or is that considered some type of cannibalism?” 

Dipper chuckled and splashed a few drops of water towards Red’s direction. At the moment, he was laying inside a tank filled with water, a different one from the last one he was in. Red was sitting hunched over on his desk, still sketching.

“No,” Dipper said, “we _do_ eat fishes, it’s just that humans are more like a feast than a meal.”

Red looked up from his drawing with wide eyes, seeming particularly terrified by Dipper’s comment. The siren just laughed at his expression, making Red a little more comfortable, but he still couldn’t tell if the siren was joking or not. 

The room they were in was a “study”, or at least that’s what Red had named it. It had more bookshelves than Cipher’s cabin, although it was less luxurious. Apart from the window besides Red’s desk, the room’s lighting was dim. There were a bunch of candles on Red’s wooden desk, illuminating his research books, journals and loose papers he had scattered on it.

Dipper was grateful for his new job as a crew member, he got to do what he loved the most, which was getting answers to the infinite questions he had about humanity and famous pirates. In exchange, he got to tell Red everything there was to know about sirens. They got along pretty quickly, as the two boys were young and inexplicably curious about things that were foreign and most likely dangerous.

“So, you’ve eaten humans before?” The ginger gulped, still partially horrified.

“Well yeah,” Dipper said, not thinking too much of it as he played with the water, “I guess you’re not really a siren if you’ve never eaten one before.”

“You do know humans are much more bone and muscle than fat, right?” Red said as he returned to his drawing, “I think we’re the least delicious out of all the food chain.”

“That’s because you haven’t tried humans before,” the siren said without hesitation, earning a terrified shriek from Red, “I’m just kidding! Although, the bone and muscle are actually what makes you guys so delicious.”

“I’m suddenly regretting this conversation,” said a very pale-looking Red, slightly chuckling out of nervousness.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to disturb you so much,” Dipper said, his facial expression told Red he was actually sorry about it. Red just shrugged it off and muttered, “Don’t worry about it.”

Over the past few days, they had talked about their species’ anatomy, their organs, and really everything that was physical. Last night, Dipper had asked the question that had been burning at the back of his mind after Dawn had told him to ask it only to a male pirate. Red laughed for a good five minutes, leaving a dumbfounded siren looking at him in question. After Red explained to the brunet what that thing between his legs really was, the siren was confused and slightly embarrassed. The pirate explained to him how human reproduction worked, although he also mentioned humans tended to do that certain act just to feel what was known as “ _pleasure_ ”. Dipper, being completely new to that word, also asked Red what it was.

“That’s a very difficult thing to explain with words,” Red had said that night, he had some human anatomy books covering his desk, filled with sketches of bones, hearts, skulls, and really anything humans had inside or outside their bodies. He had shown them to the siren, who was currently in his human form, as Red wouldn’t let him anywhere near his books if he were wet.

“Why is that?” Dipper asked, sitting on a wooden chair across from the pirate. Right now, the only source of light were the candles on the desk and some on the bookshelves. The window beside them was open, the moon’s light was also illuminating some part of the room, and the soft cool breeze from the ocean made the siren feel a little closer to home.

“Well,” Red began, skimming through some of his heart sketches and notes, “I guess because pleasure is more of a feeling, but at the same time it’s only a physical feeling, not an emotional feeling, you know what I mean?”

“Not in the slightest,” the siren said honestly, earning a chuckle from the other pirate.

“Let me break it down,” Red continued, “the way I see it, there are physical feelings and emotional feelings… Here, see it as a metaphor, physical feelings are fire, and emotional feelings are water.”

“I still don’t get it.”

“Look,” the pirate said, handing his heart sketches to the siren, “what you see here is a human heart, a muscle. Sirens also have hearts similar to those, right?” Dipper just nodded as he gazed down to the amazingly accurate drawing. “Okay, so,” Red kept talking, “the heart accelerates its pulse whenever it is fueled by adrenaline or any other type of physical activity that requires blood to circulate faster,”

“Yeah, I know that,” Dipper said with a small smile, glad to finally be understanding Red up to this point.

“Alright, so, the human heart also accelerates when it is feeling something emotional, for example, _love_.”

“I’ve heard stories about love!” The siren exclaimed happily.

“Good!” Red replied, also smiling, as he noticed Dipper was following, “Now, sometimes, humans want so desperately to feel loved and feel something _emotional_ , that they look for _fire_ instead of _water_. They look for _pleasure_ which is _fire_ , the physical feeling; instead of looking for _love_ , _water_ , _emotion_.”

Dipper’s jaw dropped, he finally understood. It all made sense to him now. Of course, he couldn't relate to any of it, as he had never felt “fire” or “water” but, he knew what Red meant.

There was a long silence while Dipper’s thoughts clicked together, but after a few minutes, Red spoke, “Sirens don’t experience feelings often, do they?”

Dipper shook his head, not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. He was definitely curious about how that metaphorical _fire_ and _water_ felt like, but as he hadn’t ever known about them, he wasn’t sure if he would ever find out.

“However, there are a few exceptions,” Red said, interrupting Dipper’s thoughts, “in about one in a million cases, two lucky people find their _fire_ and _water_ together. Meaning, they are able to find love in their pleasure, and pleasure in their love. Most people start seeking that, but end up giving up and just look for fire instead.”

Dipper thought about that for a few times, repeating Red’s words in his mind. _To find your fire and water._ That’s the ultimate treasure anyone could find, Dipper thought.

A loud knock on the door interrupted the siren’s thoughts of last night. Onyx burst into the room and looked right into Red’s green eyes.

“Your assistance is required at the captain’s cabin,” she said determined, “at once.”

After that, she just gracefully turned on her heel and shut the door behind her. Dipper looked back at Red, who funny enough had actually turned red. His eyes had some sort of sparkle in them that made the siren’s brows furrow.

“She’s a goddess,” Red muttered in a low whisper, not completely aware of Dipper strangely staring at him.

“Really?!” Dipper exclaimed, honestly surprised by Red’s comment, sitting more upright.

“What?” Red asked, breaking out of the daze and finally looking away from where the woman had stood, “No! Of course not, it’s just an expression. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if she really were a goddess.”

Dipper tilted his head in confusion, by the look on Red’s face, he thought he found some sort of admiration towards the dark-skinned woman. Dipper also thought she was amazingly gifted with sailing and orientation, and he had figured she was very good looking. He admired her too, most of all respected her, however, he had never found himself looking at her the way Red just did.

“I— I have to go,” Red said, standing up and walking out of the room so quickly, Dipper barely had time to register.

Dipper turned back into a human and gently stepped out of the tank, careful not to crash it like the previous time. He had become way better at walking and at most human behavior. If someone didn’t know he was actually born a siren, he could pass as any other pirate. It made him proud of himself. Spending so much time around Red and other pirates had made him pick up on mannerisms and other things he observed.

After he dried off, he put his clothes back on and walked out of the study. He made his way up the Main Deck. Then, he took his time as he walked over to the captain’s cabin, looking down at the ocean and up at the clouds. It was a particularly sunny day.

He was about to knock on his door when it burst open, Onyx and Red walking out of it. He gave them a sheepish smile and sneaked inside. The first thing he saw was Cipher’s back, he was standing behind his desk, staring down at it. This time, though, the captain was shirtless, revealing more than a few tattoos on his back. The window in front of the blond him made his skin glow in oranges and yellows. Dipper stepped quietly closer, wanting to see the ink on Bill’s skin clearer. His back had a huge circle drawn at the center of it, filled with complicated symbols. Dipper’s pretty sure he’s seen it on some book about enchantments. There were some other inked symbols and words here and there, mostly unrecognizable to the siren. Besides all the ink, the man was also covered in scars. Some were small, some extended for more than a few inches. Without thinking, Dipper touched the largest scar he spotted, making Cipher inhale sharply.

“What you up to, Pine Tree?” The captain asked, not bothering to look at the siren behind him.

Dipper ignored the question and just continued to trace the scar all the way down until it stopped, causing some of Bill’s back muscles automatically move by the touch. The blond suddenly turned around, making Dipper slightly jump and take a few steps back.

“It’s not very respectful to invade someone’s personal space and then touch their scars, you know?” Said Cipher, stretching over to grab his white shirt and putting it on.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize it was disrespectful,“ Dipper apologized and looked down at his feet, while Cipher gently laid his weigh on his desk and crossed his arms.

“What are you doing here, Pine Tree?” Cipher asked, dismissing his apology.

The siren glanced up, greeted by the smirk that was naturally planted on Cipher’s face; he was beginning to ask himself if the man was born with that smile. Dipper just shrugged.

“Interested about where we’re going?” The captain questioned again, turning around to look at his map once again.

“Uh,” Dipper began, walking a few steps closer to Bill, standing beside him, “may I ask, what gave you that scar?”

“I see you’re more interested in me than in the trip, aren’t cha?” Cipher said grinning, turning his head to see Dipper. The siren felt something hot in his cheeks, perhaps the sun was too bright on his face at the moment.

After getting silence as a response, the man continued, “An asshole didn’t want to pay me back his part of the bargain, I guess it got out of hand.”

Dipper furrowed his brows, his hand unconsciously lifting up to where the scar was, but he pushed it back down when he realized what he was doing.

“There’s no way a man could’ve done that to you.” 

“You’d be pretty surprised how shitty people can be,” Cipher replied, flicking a golden lock of hair out of his eyes.

“I suppose you left the other man with an equally huge— if not worse— scar.”

“Oh, Pine Tree,” Bill said, “who said I left him alive?”

Dipper’s eyes widened. His expression must’ve been hilarious because Bill laughed at him. The siren looked away, taking a few steps away from the pirate.

“Aw, the siren’s embarrassed,” Cipher said in between chuckles, “I’ll make it up to you then,” he then proceeded to take his shirt off smoothly, “choose a scar, I’ll tell you its story.”

This spiked the boy’s interest, he immediately looked back at the blond, who was facing the window once again. He walked back to the desk, examining closely every detail of the pirate’s back. Again, he didn’t notice when his hand started tracing the scars and tattoos on the other’s back. This time, Bill didn’t complain, he was patiently waiting for the boy to decide. The siren took his time, analyzing every mark, noticing the freckles that splashed the blond’s skin. His hands gently brushing over the bumps of old wounds. He was particularly intrigued by one that looked like a U, on his upper right.

“This one,” Dipper said, softly tracing the U with his fingers, completely forgetting what Bill said before, “what gave you this scar?”

Bill breathed out a laugh, “I pissed off a centaur,” he said as he remembered, “I remember I thought he had broken my back. But hey, it’s going to take you more than one attempt to try and kill me,” he smiled to himself, closing his eyes at the sun.

“More— uh— beings have tried to kill you?” Dipper asked, staring up at Bill, who was delightfully taking in the sun.

“Kid,” Bill began, “there’s a price on my head.” Dipper gulped, “In our _pirate_ world, the more famous you get, the hardest it is to kill you; therefore, whoever is able to achieve such thing, is immediately left with the pirate’s legacy.”

“Aren’t you afraid?” The siren inquired again. 

“Whoever thinks they’re enough of a threat to defeat me,” Cipher said, finally opening his eyes to gaze down at the brown ones beside him, “ _they_ should be afraid.”

Once again, there was a knock on the door, however, it was different from the one Dipper had heard at the study. Bill put on his shirt without hesitation and told whoever was on the other side of the door to come in.

“Captain,” said Hellhound as he walked in, “in a few hours we will be arriving at Tortuga.”

Cipher responded, “Get everyone to the main deck.”

Hellhound simply nodded and walked out.

“You heard me, Pine Tree,” Cipher said as he switched his attention back at the brunet, “to the main deck.”

Dipper imitated Hellhound’s steps, nodding and walking out without a word, leaving a slightly smiley Bill to shake his head as he quietly breathed out a laugh. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's gonna be more action in next chapter, I swear. The Golden Giant's crew will be arriving at Tortuga!  
> Looks like the cap is warming up to the siren very slightly, isn't he? 
> 
> Tell me what you think! What do you think will happen at Tortuga?


	7. Chapter 7

The entirety of the crew gathered at the main deck, surrounding the captain in a half-circle, much like the night they caught the siren. The sun was setting, and the sky was getting darker as each minute passed.

“You know how this works,” Cipher began, “you have until midnight to get everything I tell you to get, then we meet at Fairy Dust Beer.”

The pirates nodded and Bill just proceeded to talk, “Get to your usual teams,” the crew responded by walking over to their partners. Red was standing beside Onyx, his face was visibly blushing even though it was starting to get dark. Kitty, Bigfoot, Cheat, and Tiny were the largest team, each looking ready for the adventure. Dagger and Cain both had a poker face, not looking at all interested. And at last, Hellhound and Dawn were standing closer to the captain, ready for his command.

“Red, Onyx,” Cipher called out the first team, “You’re in charge of the maps we need to get to our next destination, every kind you find useful for our trip.” The duo nodded and stepped back.

“Kitty, Cheat, Bigfoot, and Tiny, you’ll be looking for food and those other supplies, as usual. Plan out how much we will need for our trip, be sure to get a little more than enough, we don’t want any less.” The team also responded with a nod Tiny smiled at the captain, making him return it with a wink.

“Dagger, and Cain,” he looked at them with a smirk forming on his lips, “weapons.”

“Hellhound, and Dawn,” the pair stepped a little closer, “you know what to get.” They both nodded with determination and looked at each other, making sure they knew perfectly what their captain was asking them to get.

“And Pine Tree,” the siren turned to face the captain at the sound of his name, apparently he had been too distracted by all the ships and boats that were passing by right next to them, trying to find a spot at the island’s dock, “you’ll be coming with me.”

Dipper didn’t want to question the captain. He slightly furrowed his brows but nodded anyway.

“Now, you are forbidden to talk about our little siren friend here,” Cipher reminded the crew, “no one can know he’s not human. If by any chance you betray my word, I’ll be sure to cut your tongue out and feed it to the siren himself.”

Everyone shot horrified looks at Dipper. The boy didn’t know how to respond, so he decided to just ignore the glances and whispers and look down.

“Get your things ready.” The captain finished, and the groups of people that were once gathered around him began to spread around to different parts of the ship. As Dipper had no idea what his job was going to be on the island, he just walked over to the captain.

“What will we be doing?” The brunet asked. The pirate didn’t seem to care too much about his question, as he didn’t even care to look at the boy asking him.

“You’ll see, Pine Tree,” was all he said.

After a few minutes, everyone started gathering on the main deck once again. However, now they had different types and sizes of bags with them.

“Should I get anyth—“ Dipper began, but was interrupted by Red as he yelled and ran toward his direction.

“Dipper!” The siren instantly turned to look at the boy that was slightly out of breath, “Did you take my journal?”

“Which journal?” The siren asked, confused.

“The one I’ve been filling with all the stuff about you and sirens in general.”

“I didn’t take your journal,” Dipper said honestly, “where was the last place you left it?”

“The study,” Red replied, “and you were the last person that was there.”

“I don’t have your journal, Red,” Dipper repeated, “are you sure it isn’t misplaced on the shelves or something?”

“I checked the shelves and my desk several times, it’s not there,” Red said, believing Dipper’s honesty.

“I’m sure it will appear sooner or later,” Cipher interrupted their conversation, “but we just arrived at our destination, and we better keep going.”

Dipper gave Red a slight nod and a small smile. The ginger head returned the gesture, walked away and met with his teammate.

A few moments later, everyone was out of the ship, walking into the island. Bill was leading the group, Dipper was following him closely behind, he was mesmerized by what was surrounding them. There were trees all around the island, but it was also filled with small stores, shops, and bars. None of the stores looked expensive, much less fancy, they had a much more grim and dangerous vibe. Nonetheless, Dipper’s eyes were wide, and there was a gap in his mouth.

The place sure was something, but the people walking along with them was a whole different story. He had never been so close to so many humans before. To so many most likely dangerous humans. He shrugged off that feeling of unsafety, and proceeded to pay attention to how they looked, how they walked, how they talked, to what stores they were entering, to where that bearded man was turning a corner, to who that pretty lady was pointing to, to what those two angry-looking men were yelling at each other outside of a bar, to… _shit_.

_Where’s everyone?_

Dipper looked around, there were no familiar faces anywhere near him.

_Where’s Bill?_

He tried skimming the crowd for those golden locks of untidy hair he had grown used to, but there was no sign of them.

_Oh no._

His heart had started racing.

_Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._

His breathing had begun to grow faster.

_Please no, I can’t be lost here._

“Yeesh, I can’t ever leave you unsupervised, can I?” A familiar cocky voice said behind him.

Dipper turned amazingly fast and launched himself forward, hugging the man that was currently grimacing.

“Alright, I know, you missed me,” the uncomfortable pirate started to push the brunet who was clinging on to him away, “now get off me, kid.”

Dipper obediently took a step back, slightly embarrassed, looking at the floor.

“I thought I was lost,” the boy said.

“You never lost my sight,” said the blond, making the siren look up with a warm look on his face. Cipher looked away and proceeded to clear his voice, “mind paying attention to where you’re walking instead of everything else around you?”

Dipper nodded silently and began walking alongside the other pirate. The siren, however, continuously got distracted for more than a few times, so Bill was forced to grab him by the arm, keeping him on a leash. Dipper was fine with that, as he was now able to look around and not get lost at the same time. He enjoyed looking at what was happening around him, on the other hand, Bill seemed pretty determined as to where they were currently walking.

After a while, Dipper’s arm grew a little tired from being grabbed that way, so he proceeded to hold Bill’s hand instead, not thinking too much about it. Cipher immediately reacted with a small jump, taking his hand closer to him and away from the siren. Dipper was confused by the sudden movement, had he done something wrong? Just like the other time he touched Bill’s back, the reaction to his touch had been almost the same. Was holding hands also disrespectful?

The siren was about to mutter an apology when Bill abruptly took his hand and looked away, completely unbothered; or may be pretending to be. Dipper couldn’t tell.

Cipher’s hand was warm, calloused and firm, very unlike Dipper’s cold and soft ones.

The brunet noticed there weren’t as many people around this part of the island. It was a little darker than where they were moments ago, instead of being surrounded by light poles, there were much more trees. Here it was also much quieter, and only a very few shops were at sight.

Bill made a sudden turn to the right, walking into a narrow, dark, hallway.

“Where are we going?” The siren asked. They had been walking for a long time now, and something about the way the island was looking didn’t give him a nice feeling.

“Are we almost there?” Dipper asked again, as the pirate that was currently holding his hand hadn’t answered his last question.

“How much more do we need to walk?” Dipper said, much more annoyed, starting to slow his pace, trying to make Bill react.

“Are we there yet?”

Nothing. Cipher was still walking silently.

“Where are we going?”

Silence again.

 _“Where are we going?!”_ Dipper repeated one last time, shaking his arm as he said it, making Bill’s arm jerk to different directions.

“I am _incredibly_ surprised how Red puts up with you daily,” Bill replied, almost as annoyed as Dipper was.

“He asks as many questions as I do, he doesn’t mind,” the brunet said, glad that the pirate had finally decided to respond, even if he didn’t answer his question.

“Well, I do mind. Please, for the sake of my ears, _could you please shut up?_ ” Cipher responded with a much more bitter tone than Dipper expected. The siren immediately looked down.

 _Remember he’s your captain,_ Dipper said in his mind,  _your boss. Why am I always so disrespectful? He must hate me. He's going to sell me, isn't he?_ He thought, growing paranoid.

Cipher just kept walking, quiet, and apparently unbothered. He sometimes looked at the siren by the corner of his eyes, trying not to look concerned about snapping at him the way he did.

 _Hell, he can be annoying sometimes,_ Cipher’s mind echoed, _he’s way too curious. He might be worried about where we are though. I can't imagine the guts this boy has, to be walking around in such a dangerous and unknown territory. He's either really brave, or very foolish._

The captain exhaled loudly, “We’re almost there,” he said, still not looking at Dipper.

The siren looked up, very confused. God, humans’ behavior was so weird sometimes. He could never fully understand them. The man next to him had ignored his questions for almost the whole walk to wherever they were going, then snapped at him and asked him to shut up, and now, all of the sudden he finally answered his question? It didn’t make any sense. But oh well, sirens weren't easy to understand either.

“We’re here,” Bill said, stopping at a halt right in front of a small cabin that was surrounded by the trees’ shadows. There was a yellowish light coming out the window. Dipper saw a small sign that was nailed to the ground right next to the door. It read _“Mystery Shack”_ with red, old, wooden letters.

The captain released the other’s hand and knocked three times on the door. Moments later, it swung open, revealing a tall, overweight man. He was wearing an odd, greenish shirt, and had a wooden leg.

“Captain Cipher!” Exclaimed joyfully the oversized man, “Come in, come in!”

Bill had his usual smug smile on his face as he walked inside the old cabin. The siren followed him closely behind, a little uncomfortable by the new atmosphere.

“Who is this new company of yours?” Asked the taller man, “You had never brought anyone else here before.”

Dipper knitted his eyebrows together. That was a good question, why did Bill bring him there? Why did he need him?

“You know me, Soos,” Bill said as he continued to walk deeper into the cabin, “I trust no one. So, if I need this boy to be protected from the danger of the island, I have to do it myself.”

Oh. So Bill _didn’t_ need Dipper there. He just took him there to be aware of where the other was and to make sure he didn't get into too much danger.

Now _that_ makes sense.

“He’s back there, as always,” Soos said, starting to turn around to walk away from the other pair, “I hope we get to see you again soon.”

Bill slightly turned his head and gave Soos a small nod and a smile, then he stopped his footsteps right in front of another old wooden door. He opened it without hesitation, overly confident. Almost as if he were the owner of the place.

Inside the room, an older man was sitting down and working on something on his desk. As Dipper was behind the blond, he couldn’t quite see what was going on inside the room. Because of the creaking noise the door made when Cipher opened it, the man immediately looked up from his desk. His stone-cold expression turned into a joyful one when he realized who was holding the door open.

“Captain Bill Cipher!” Said the old man in a rough, raspy voice, “You've grown so much! It’s so good to see you.”

Cipher, as always, was flattered by the attention and admiration. He had a smirk forming on the corners of his lips, and his chin was facing a little more towards the ceiling.

The elder man stood up from his desk and walked directly towards Cipher, giving him a very tight hug.

The man was almost as tall as the captain, but some of the man’s facial and body features made him look bigger than the blond. He was wearing some really big square glasses, which made his square face look bigger. He had dark gray hair and a poorly shaved gray beard. His entire body, in general, was much bulkier than Cipher’s.

After the hug, he took Cipher inside the room, not noticing Dipper following them closely behind.

_Wait a second._

After the three of them were inside the room more comfortable, Dipper could finally see the man and the place they were currently in clearly.

 _“Grunkle Stan?!”_ Dipper said with wide eyes, not believing what he was seeing.

The elder man instantly looked at the brunet when he heard his soft and nervous voice; the voice he missed to hear every day, for the past ten years. A sharp inhale escaped his mouth when he recognized the young man.

 _“Dipper,”_ was everything the old man managed to say in a low whisper.

The brunet ran toward the man and hugged him, way tighter than the hug he had seen the captain give his Grunkle.

A few moments later, Cipher cleared his throat, making his presence known. The reunited pair removed their hands from each other’s backs.

“Grunkle Stan, I—“ Dipper started, looking at his Grunkle in disbelief, “We thought you were captured by pirates, you disappeared so suddenly.”

“Well, that’s one way to put it,” Stan replied, “but I wasn’t exactly captured."

Dipper gave his Grunkle a questioning look, so the man continued to tell the story. "I was smarter than that, even if I don’t look like it. Ford was always the intelligent twin, but he never took action. So when the day came, I knew exactly what to do.”

“You slaughtered an entire crew of English sailors that were sent by the queen to capture and kill pirates,” Bill interrupted the story, “the ship that was specifically sent to execute one particular ship… The Golden Giant.”

Dipper’s mind stopped working, “ _Wh—_ “ he said.

“Pine Tree, my beautiful ship wasn’t always mine,” Cipher stated, “it was from a man that was only fueled by greed and envy. He saw great potential in me since I was rescued, and that’s exactly why he was afraid of me. He never wanted to promote my roll on the ship because he feared I would take his ship, and eventually, his place. I was the youngest pirate on that ship. Younger than Tiny, actually, I was eleven. And I, just like Stan, planned on how to take over the ship.”

“I still not understand,” Dipper said, switching to look at each of the two men.

“I tried to take over the British ship while they were battling the Golden Giant’s crew,” Stan continued the tale, “when I saw a young blond boy, too clever for his age. I noticed what he was planning right away.”

“To make the story shorter,” Bill interrupted once again, “As the British were winning the battle, I pretended to be a hostage who was captured by the mean pirates. They apprehended the Golden Giant crew, except for me. They took the Golden Giant because it was bigger, less destroyed, and much more equipped. What they didn’t expect, though, was being silently murdered during their sleep by an old siren and a young boy.”

Dipper gasped and closed his eyes.

_No, it can’t be. It—_

His mind was blank. He had believed for so long that his Grunkle died, but now he was literally standing there, _in two feet_ , telling him a story about how he _slaughtered_ two ships worth of people, alongside the _one pirate_ that had _captured him._

“I didn’t know you guys were family, though,” Cipher said as if the entire story he had just told Dipper was nothing.

“What are the odds, right?” Stan said, happily, looking at his nephew “I’m so glad to see you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter! The next one will also be at Tortuga (it will be more fun i swear). 
> 
> Again, I love and read every single one of your comments, so tell me your thoughts? What do you think/want to happen next?
> 
> Also!!! Sorry it took me so long to update this, my computer died and I had to get a new one. I posted these terrible news on my tumblr: https://bluecoffeemugs.tumblr.com (yup it's the same name as my ao3 user, that's easy to find). So yeah, follow me if I ever post any other updates about the fic, if i ever write more oneshots, if you wanna send me asks (i'm literally willing to answer anything) etc etc. Follow at your own risk.


	8. Chapter 8

“What are we doing here?” Dipper said after a long silence.

“Right!” Stan responded, “Will it be the usual, Bill?”

Dipper had never heard someone call the captain only by his first name, which must mean his Grunkle and him were pretty close. The siren still felt all of this was just a very weird dream.

“Yes,” Bill replied with a smile, “however, this time, make it twenty pounds instead of ten.”

_Twenty pounds?_

“Twenty pounds of what?” Dipper questioned, looking at Cipher with his brows knitted together. But the blond, as usual, ignored his question.

“Twenty?!” Stan exclaimed with his eyes wide, “Where do you plan on going?”

“That should be none of your—“

“—To the Bermuda Triangle,” Dipper said, interrupting Cipher. The blond looked at him, a combination of anger and exasperation in his face, but Dipper didn’t regret it. After all, it was his Grunkle, he was the one to tell him about the Bermuda Triangle in the first place.

Stan gasped in shock, eyes completely wide.

“Mason!” Stan snapped. Calling Dipper by his real name made Cipher jerk his head in surprise toward the brunet’s direction. The boy had a guilty and ashamed look on his face at this very moment. No one called him by that name unless it was deadly serious.

“You cannot go into that place, it is not safe!” Stan continued, raising his voice, “I forbid you.”

Dipper was about to complain, but Bill spoke first, “Sorry, old man, but we have a deal.”

Stan’s face turned from shock and anger to repugnance.

“How dare you?!” Stan exclaimed, “I don’t know with whom I am more disappointed.” He looked at Bill and then at Dipper, shaking his head and sighing.

“We will be fine, Stanley,” Cipher continued, trying to calm the older man down, “I’ve always been fine.”

“Well there’s always a first time,” Stan said, causing yet another uncomfortable silence to set around the room. Then, he slowly turned around and walked over to another old wooden door, lazily opening it and going inside.

“Come and get your twenty pounds,” Stan called from the other side of the door, rather grumpily, “and you _better_ come back to tell me the story.”

The captain followed Stan’s footsteps and went inside the room, Dipper walking him closely behind.

The room was glowing in golden light. Jars of completely different sizes and odd shapes were all around the room’s shelves. They were all filled by the same glittery substance. It appeared as if the jars were the ones that were emitting the golden light. It was nothing like Dipper had ever seen before, his eyes sparkled in awe. He took a closer look at a jar that was near him. Whatever was inside didn’t look like a liquid up close, it looked like…

“Is this _fairy dust?!_ ” Dipper blurted out, completely shocked, making Stan look back at him. His Grunkle gave him a small smile and nodded.

“Don’t worry, no fairies were harmed in the process,” Stan said when he saw Dipper’s troubled face.

“The Mystery Shack is the only place where you’ll find fairy dust in all of Tortuga,” Cipher said as he looked around the room, pacing slowly, “or at least, one that works well.”

“The reason why my fairy dust is so effective is because I don’t torture the fairies,” Stan continued, looking proud of himself, “they give me their dust willingly.”

“What? How come—“

“—I missed your curiosity,” Stan interrupted Dipper with a warm smile, “however, I will not tell you _that_. It’s a secret I swore to keep.”

Dipper nodded in understanding, then turned to look at the blond, who was still looking at different jars.

Minutes passed by, Stan and Dipper talked about their family, what had been happening under the sea for the past ten years, and what had been going on at the same time in the surface. Finally, Bill decided which jars he was going to take, and paid them. Then, he said his goodbyes to Stan and told Dipper he would wait for him outside the room.

“ _Please_ be careful,” Stan said to his nephew, “I know what being curious about something feels like. However, no one has _ever_ come back from that treacherous place. You might as well be heading toward your graves! I don’t want this to be the last time I talk to you.”

“I promise I’ll come back, Grunkle Stan,” Dipper told him, hugging him tightly. His throat felt tight, he had missed his Grunkle for so long, and now he was saying goodbye to him once again.

The brunet walked out of the room and was greeted by the friendly fat man who invited them inside, who was currently talking with the captain.

“Ready to go Pine Tree? There’s no rush.” Cipher asked with a smirk and Dipper nodded. The blond looked back at the other man and said, “Hope to see you soon, Soos,”

“Likewise,” the man responded with a bright smile.

As the pair were walking to the entrance, another door burst open, making them turn their heads towards the sound of footsteps. A beautiful woman with fiery red hair came into the room walking gracefully, she almost seemed to float. Dipper’s eyes widened and he suddenly felt out of breath. He hadn’t even noticed he stopped walking.

The red-haired looked at him and smiled, giggling slightly, “I haven’t seen _you_ before,”

Dipper’s face reddened immediately, and even though he wanted to respond, his voice seemed to have run away.

“Wendy!” Bill said smoothly when he noticed the awkwardness of the situation, “You look so different from when I last saw you.”

“I could say the same thing about you,” she replied, walking closer to the pair, “who’s your cute friend?”

Dipper’s face couldn’t turn any more red, it was almost the same color as Wendy’s hair, which made her chuckle. Oddly, Bill felt a drop of anger inside him. However, he just continued to smile.

“We’re running late,” Cipher said, hoping to make Dipper respond, “maybe you’ll get to introduce each other another t—“

“—I’m Dipper,” the brunet interrupted, making Cipher shoot him an exasperated look, but the other didn’t care, because the girl had just smiled to him again.

“Hello Dipper, I’m Wendy,” the pretty woman said, “you seem like a nice guy.”

Dipper was speechless once more, he could only breathe out a nervous laugh, causing Bill to roll his eyes and grab him by the shoulder.

“It’s almost midnight, Pine Tree, remember?” Bill asked him, once again hoping the other will react, “We better get going. Sorry Wendy, maybe another time.”

But hadn’t Bill just told Dipper that there was no rush just a few minutes ago? Before the siren could protest, the blond was already dragging him out of the store.

“See you soon, then, _Dipper,_ ” Wendy said, smiling again. The way she said his name made his stomach feel all weird and fluttery. _What is this?_

When they shut the front door behind them, Bill began to walk away. As always, Dipper followed, but he couldn’t help but notice the captain was looking slightly annoyed.

In an attempt to strike a conversation, Dipper spoke, “She’s a goddess,” imitating the expression he had heard Red say before.

“She’s a _what now?!_ ” Bill snapped, looking at him in disbelief, shoulders tensed.

“Oh! No, don’t worry, captain,” Dipper said, Bill looked at him confused, “it’s just an expression. She’s not a _real_ goddess.”

Bill rolled his eyes and breathed out a forced laugh, “Yeah I know it’s—“ he sighed, trying to relax his posture, “—never mind.”

Dipper frowned. God, humans were so weird.

The blond shrugged off whatever he was feeling and kept walking alongside Dipper, all the way up to a bar that had a sign hanging from it, which read: Fairy Dust Bar. Cipher looked at his old and rusty pocket watch.

“I suppose we’re a few minutes early,” he began, opening the dark wooden door and signaling Dipper to step inside.

The place was almost completely filled with pirates. Most of them looked dangerous, and more than a little tipsy. Dipper got anxious, of course, but when he looked at the blond beside him smiling brightly, his nerves calmed down a little.

 _He will protect me,_ Dipper thought as he kept looking around, _he’s true to his word. Nothing wrong is going to happen. As long as he’s here, I’m safe._

Dipper automatically grabbed Bill’s hand, just to feel a little safer, but the blond rejected it immediately. Dipper’s brows knitted together and looked at the other in confusion.

“Go sit down somewhere, I’ll get some drinks,” Bill excused himself, leaving Dipper standing alone in the middle of the room.

 _What if they know I’m not human?_ Dipper began to think, as he noticed more than a few pirates were staring at him and making weird glances. _Calm down, Dipper, you’re just paranoid. You’re a pirate now too, remember? Act as one._

He breathed in deeply and tried to imitate a pirate’s behavior. Or at least, the _one_ pirate’s behavior he had been analyzing the most. He lifted his chin slightly and half-lidded his eyes, trying to smirk a little.

Instantaneously, almost all the pirates that were staring at him weirdly looked away. Huh.

He walked confidently toward a big empty table and sat down. He noticed how a lot of pirates were sitting much too comfortably and tried doing the same. He slowly put his legs up the wooden table and smiled to himself. Perhaps being a pirate wasn’t that difficult. 

“Dipper!” A squeaky voice yelled, and a young boy came rushing to Dipper’s direction.

“Oh, hi Tiny!” Dipper responded joyfully when he saw the boy, “You guys finished early too?”

“Yeah, there weren’t too many people at the stores,” said Cheat, who was walking over to the table as well.

“Looks like I’ll have to get more beers,” said Cipher when he came to the table and noticed that another party had already arrived.

“I don’t want mine,” Dipper said as he grabbed the small barrel filled with a foamy substance Bill had just given him.

“It’s not beer, _or_ alcohol, for that matter,” the captain replied honestly, “try it.”

Dipper blinked, confused. Then, he brought the tiny barrel closer to his mouth and took a sip. It was an explosion of a flavor he had never tasted before. It was so sweet and soft in his mouth, it was amazingly delicious.

“What is this?” Dipper asked excitedly as he took another sip of the sweet beverage.

“Ah, so you _do_ like it, huh?” Bill said, overly proud of himself when he saw the siren nod with a very bright smile with his upper lip completely covered with white-ish foam. “It’s a secret,” the blond continued, “so if you want more, just tell me.”

Dipper narrowed his eyes, but chose not to think much about it, taking another large gulp from his drink.

Moments later, all the crew was at the table, each sitting down in very different _pirate positions._ Dipper liked to pretend he was a pirate too. Well, he was part of a pirate crew, so he sort of was a pirate in some way. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that he would never get to be a _real_ pirate, that he was never going to be like them.

Dipper, who now had the fifth barrel of that sweet drink in his right hand, noticed Cain was talking to another man he hadn’t seen before. The man had a huge silver belt buckle and an eye patch. He looked much more menacing than Cain, and that was a lot. The two of them were talking on the other side of the restaurant, in secrecy. 

 _What could they be talking about?_ Dipper wondered as he took yet another sip from his drink. He also noticed that Cain was holding something. It seemed to be a notebook, one that looked somehow familiar to the siren.

Dipper blinked, trying to focus on the image before him, but his sight was blocked by a blond pirate sitting right in front of him.

“What’cha looking at, Pine Tree?” Cipher asked. His voice tone was warmer than usual, which was most probably a side effect from the amount of alcohol he had been drinking. His amber eyes looked a little red, and his smile looked somewhat more friendly than usual.

“Nothing,” Dipper stammered, “probably nothing.”

Bill looked behind him, obviously not buying it. But he didn’t notice anything too unusual.

A pretty waitress walked up to the table, offering more drinks to the already drunk pirates. She noticed Dipper and winked at him, making him blush almost as fast as when he saw Wendy.

“Hey handsome,” the black-haired woman said to the siren, making Bill roll his eyes and take a sip from his beer, “wanna go out back? I think I have something you might like to _taste_.”

Cipher spit his drink and started coughing, then laughing. The waitress eyed him, clearly disgusted.

“Sweetheart, you won’t mind cleaning that, would you?” Bill said with a smirk, making the woman grunt and walk away.

“Should I go with her?” Dipper whispered to Bill, “She said she wanted to show me something.”

“Pine Tree, sometimes I forget how innocent your mind is. She was flirting,” Cipher said with a laugh, getting more comfortable in his chair, “she wanted to have sex with you.”

Dipper’s eyes widened in horror, his face couldn’t get any hotter. “A-are you sure? I don’t—“

“—She wanted to have sex with you.” Bill repeated, chugging the very last drop of his beer, “I mean, if you want to try that _so_ _human_ experience, go ahead, follow the lady.”

“No thank you,” Dipper told Cipher, “I don’t want fire if there is no water.”

Bill frowned, puzzled, “The fuck? What do you mean?”

“Right!” Dipper said as he realized he had only talked about that with Red, “Red told me about how humans reproduce and... other  _stuff_. But, uhm, he also explained the term _pleasure._ He told me that it was more of a _physical feeling:_ like fire, instead of an _emotional feeling_ : like water!”

“What a complicated way to put it but, yeah I guess Red is sort of right,” Cipher said, getting lost in his thoughts.

“Have you ever felt any of those before?” Dipper asked bluntly. Bill gave him a weird look, then sighed.

“I’ve felt fire,” Bill said honestly, “though I wish it would’ve been water instead.”

“I hope someday you find your water and fire, captain,” Dipper told him, “you deserve it.”

The pirate smiled, but it wasn’t like his usual smiles. This time, it was more honest.

“You can call me Bill.”

 

 

At about 3 AM, the pirates decided to head back to the ship to sleep. Their trip to Tortuga had been a success. The Golden Giant was docked where there were fewer ships around. Most of them had left earlier, so there were just about two or three left. However, none of them were as huge as the Golden Giant.

One by one, the pirates went downstairs to sleep, all very happy about their one night off the ship. Bill and Dipper were the last people on the main deck, looking at the stars and constellations. The blond confessed to Dipper he was not as much of an expert as Onyx was, but he told him about the constellations and myths he knew. The siren was marveled. A few minutes later, they said goodnight and headed their own ways. Dipper saw Bill close his cabin door behind him, then he walked towards the stairs.

“Hey, Dipper,” said a deep voice the siren sort of recognized, “over here.”

The siren looked to where the voice was coming from. Cain was at the other end of the ship, holding a bottle. Curious for what the pirate wanted, the siren stepped closer to him. 

The man became illuminated by one of the lights on the ship, making the scar across his face look bigger because of the shadows.

“What do you need, Cain?” Dipper asked simply, looking at the tall man in front of him.

“I just wanted to apologize,” said the other man in a low voice, “I was wrong. You _are_ worthy of being from our crew.”

Dipper smiled, “Oh!” he exclaimed surprised, “Thank you. I accept your apology.”

Cain returned the smile. Was this the first time Dipper saw him smile?

The man took a long gulp from the glass bottle he was carrying, emptying it.

Out of nowhere, Cain began to laugh, “I can’t believe it,” he said between his shrieks of laughter.

Dipper was confused, “You can’t believe what?”

“How stupid sirens are,” he said with a grin. And before Dipper could process what he had just said, the man hit him in the head with his glass bottle, knocking him out.

He ripped Dipper’s golden shell necklace off his neck, making him transform into a siren the instant it was taken off, then stomped on the shell until it was pulverized. 

“One thing you should now,” Cain whispered to the siren as he roughly grabbed him from the floor and walked out of the ship, “a real pirate _never_ apologizes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie so many things happened in this chapter!! Which one (or which ones) was your favorite? What do you think will happen next? How about that last plot twist? 
> 
> I had to fit a looot of things in this chap because I needed and wanted more action to happen hahah.  
> So yeah! Next chapter's gonna be a huge rollercoaster too, so stick around! 
> 
> I'm glad so many of you are reading this, I didn't expect it. Thank you for reading, commenting and sending kudos :) Until next update!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waring: there's (mild) violence in this chapter.

“Captain!” Yelled someone at the other side of Cipher’s cabin door as he knocked very loudly, “Captain! This is an emergency!”

Bill woke up, startled by the banging. He moved quickly to open the door and saw a very exasperated Hellhound.

“What happened?” Cipher said just as loudly as the other man had been yelling for the past minute.

“It’s Dipper, sir,” Hellhound said, worry flooding his face, “we found this at the edge of the ship.” The man held up a very damaged golden shell that was still slightly hanging from its thread. 

“Pine Tree… Jumped? He wouldn’t…” Cipher said, not believing what he was seeing.

“No, we know he wouldn’t,” Hellhound replied, “but I honestly wish he had.”

The man moved away from the door, allowing Bill to see clearly ahead of him. His whole crew was already gathered at the main deck, frozen, looking onwards. 

There was a ship docked right beside the Golden Giant. Cipher hurriedly walked over to get a closer look, until the figures on the other ship were recognizable. There were at least ten menacing and armed men standing on their own ship’s main deck, pointing their guns and swords at Cipher’s ship and crew. And Cipher also recognized a familiar scarred face.

 _Traitor._ Bill thought, repulsed.

However, that wasn’t what made Bill’s blood run cold.

In one of the ship’s wooden poles, Dipper was in his natural form, hanging from his wrists a few inches above the floor. He was directly exposed to the scorching rays of sunlight, hitting his pale skin, which now looked red and slightly burned. Drops of blood were staining his forehead. He looked dazed and terribly dehydrated.

 _One wrong move and we’re all dead._ Bill thought to himself.

“Look who decided to wake up!” Exclaimed the familiar scarred face from the other ship.

Several of Cipher’s crewmen turned their heads to greet their captain, grateful to finally see him.

“Traitor!” Roared Onyx, filled with hatred. A few others yelled with her, but some remained in shock. How were they going to get out of this one?

Bill walked closer to the other ship. He noticed there was a narrow bridge connecting theirs to Golden Giant.

_If Cain wanted to sell Pine Tree, he would’ve just taken off and let us believe he jumped off the ship. He wants something._

“I am ashamed of you, Cain, utterly disgusted,” Cipher said, not letting an ounce of worry escape his lips, “I thought I taught you better. I warned you what happens when someone betrays me.”

“Bill!” Dipper yelled when his eyes finally focused on the blond figure that had decided to show up, “Bill, please…” Dipper’s voice was cracking, he started coughing. Up to the point where he spat drops of blood.

“He calls you by your first name, too! Aw, how cute,” Cain said sarcastically, making Bill sick to his stomac.

"Oh, I forgot to mention," he continued with a mischievous smile, gesturing someone to give him a notebook they were carrying, “it says right here that a siren can live up to five hours without water, but, and I quote, _if exposed to direct sunlight, the risk is greater._ Cipher, your siren has two hours left.”

_Don’t show interest. Don’t show concern. Don’t show fear._

“My journal,” Red gasped and looked at his captain, worry filling his expression, “captain, I never thought someone would use that information against him, I’m—“

“—Don’t apologize,” Cipher interrupted, also in a low voice “you were just doing your job.”

Red slightly nodded, though he didn’t feel any better about writing it.

“And you may remember this!” Cain continued to talk, walking over to the hung siren, hooking his finger in the black pearl necklace, making Dipper shriek, “of course _Dipper_ could’ve been able to defend itself with his voice, but _thank you_ , Cipher, for making my job easier for me!”

Bill closed his eyes and sighed. _I should’ve taken that thing off him a long time ago._

“I am doing you all a favor,” Cain kept talking, “because I’ve always seen the monster this thing is, since the first day we found it! _”_

Cipher’s crew looked at each other, they were confused. Maybe Cain had finally lost his mind.

“Look at _it,_ ” Cain pointed at Dipper looking like a mad man, while the siren’s expression got filled with shame, “did you really think this thing would ever become one of _you?_ It looks like I’ll have to remind you what a monster he is.”

“He never did anything wrong!” Red yelled at Cain, rage filling his lungs.

“ _Yet!_ ” Cain exclaimed, “But you’ll see he’s been planing to take over your ship eventually, making every one of you its slave, even Cipher himself. Hell, Cipher’s already halfway down!”

“That’s not true!” Dipper spat, genuinely angry at his false accusations, “I would never hurt any of—“ He was interrupted by Cain’s fist punching the air out of his lungs.

_We know you’re innocent. We’re going to get you out of there. Think fast, Bill, think fast._

“What do you want, Cain?” Cipher said, trying to look uninterested by the siren’s pain, “Besides wanting to prove us wrong so badly, of course.”

“You know, I had no idea how interesting sirens were,” Cain replied, completely ignoring the captain’s question, as he skimmed through Red’s journal pages, “apparently, ripping out one of their scales hurts just as much as ripping out human nail! Looks like I know what I’ll do next!”

Dipper’s eyes widened in horror. “No! No, no, please no, I beg you,” he pleaded.

Cipher gulped. _Don’t show interest. Don’t show concern. Don’t show fear._

“Torture?” Cipher said huffing a laugh, apathetic, “Cain, you’ve grown sloppy. Just tell me what you want.”

“You think I can’t see right through you, Cipher?” Cain said as someone handed him a metal pair of bulky, metal tweezers, “I know you care for this _sea monster_.”

“Bill, please! You made a promise!” Dipper cried again as Cain stepped closer to him, “We had a deal!”

 _Hellhound._  Cipher's eyes slightly widened in realization.  _Yes! He just needs a distraction._

“Save your breath, kid,” Bill said, not moving from where he was standing, “the moment Cain betrayed me, he was not part of my crew anymore. I am not responsible for any harm he does to you.”

Cain frowned, “Then you surely won’t care if I keep a few of his scales as souvenirs before they dry, won’t you?”

Bill didn’t flinch, even when the siren kept crying his name, pleading for help.

“Captain, aren’t you going to do anything about it?” Cheat said, furious, he had never raised his voice at Cipher.

_Hang tight, Pine Tree. I’m sorry I have to do it this way._

“Why would I?” The blond replied bitterly.

Dipper started yelling urgently again when Cain started observing his blue scales, sliding his finger down his now completely dry tail, making him shudder with fear.

“If _you_ won’t, then _I_ will,” Cheat said, already starting to head towards the narrow bridge.

Cipher glanced at Hellhound, blinking twice.

“Stand your ground, pirate,” Hellhound yelled at Cheat.

“How can you say that?! Dipper’s our _friend_ , we have to do something about it!” Cheat said angrily.

 _“Stand. your. ground.”_ Hellhound demanded strictly. Cheat froze, then stood upright.

“I like this one!” Cain called out, interrupting their argument, as he picked one of Dipper’s scales.

“Please, Cain, you don’t have to do this,” Dipper started to sob.

“Oh, I know,” the scar-faced man replied, “but I _want_ to.”

And with that he grasped said scale with his tweezers, making Dipper scream out in pain. The siren jerked his tail unexpectedly and hit the man in the face. Cain gripped his face, swearing.

“That’s gonna cost you another scale,” Cain threatened as he held his face, grimacing, “tie him down!”

When the entirety of the other crew was distracted trying to tie Dipper’s rebellious tail down, Bill slightly nodded. Hellhound swiftly ran towards the captain’s cabin and shut the door carefully behind him.

Moments later, Dipper’s light blue tail was perfectly tied down to the pole, one rope closer to his hips, and the other closer to where his feet should be, leaving enough room for Cain to choose the scales.

Once again, Cain grabbed his tweezers and carefully placed them on the same scale he had tried to take out before. Dipper tried to move his tail again, but it was useless.

“What hurts more,” Cain wondered out loud, staring directly at the siren with a manic grin, “to yank it out at once, or to do it _slowly?_ ”

Dipper’s paranoid face grew paler. He squirmed, trying his best to move away from the horrendous man, but it was pointless.

“Good thing I’m going to try both.”

Cain tightened his grip on the scale, making the siren scream. Then, he detached the scale from his tail in one quick move. Most of the Golden Giant’s crew looked away, unable to bear the sight, but Bill just kept staring.

The scale was deeper inside the siren’s skin than it appeared to be because when Cain took a closer look at his new trophy, it was much larger than he thought it would be. A thin thread of blood started to slide down Dipper’s dry tail.

The siren looked dazed once again. His mouth felt completely dry, he kept coughing and then spitting drops of blood. His skin had stopped sweating an hour ago, it was now so severely burnt that some parts had also started bleeding. He knew he had only some minutes left if he was lucky.

Without a warning, Cain quickly picked another blue scale and painfully buried his tweezers in Dipper’s tail to grab it. The siren screamed such a piercing scream, most of Cain’s crew covered their ears. A single tear came down Dipper’s cheek. Bill couldn’t help the worry come over his face, he tried burying it away, but the knot in his voice made it harder. 

_Hellhound hurry up. Hurry. We don’t have much longer._

Cain twisted and squeezed his tweezers. All the way to the right, then all the way to the left. Dipper kept screaming. Until he screamed so agonizingly loud that he lost his voice.

“Bill, _please_ ,” Dipper begged in a barely audible whisper, “just tell him to kill me.”

The blond gulped as his eyes started to water. At least Cain wasn’t able to notice.

Panic started to flood Bill’s mind. _I have to do something. He’s about to die. No! I have to wait. Hellhound is almost back._

At last, Cain removed the now completely red scale. The blood that was coming out from the new wound was much more than the other. Dipper’s eyes were getting too lazy, he could barely keep them open anymore. Everything hurt. Everything hurt _so much_.

“Red, you might want to write this in your investigation journal!” Cain barked, overly proud of himself, taking a closer look at the now scarlet scale, “Slowly hurts more.”

“Are you done?” Bill asked Cain bitterly, his blood was boiling with hatred. He noticed Dipper was about to either faint or die. Hellhound had finally returned, giving the captain a very small nod. In response, Bill walked over to the wooden bridge and quickly crossed it.

“Yes, Cipher, I am done now.”

“Are you going to tell me what you want?” Bill said, dead serious.

Hellhound and Dawn followed the captain into the other ship.

“Your siren has about ten minutes left,” Cain said grinning, lifting Dipper’s chin up, and pointing a gun close to his face when he noticed more of his past crew members were started to surround him, “I’ll give you your _abomination_ back.”

“In exchange for what?” Cipher asked, walking closer to Cain with determination.

“The Golden Giant and its crew,” Cain finished, looking amazingly pleased with himself.

Bill doubled over with laughter, earning weird looks from Cain’s crew and his own.

“Did you really think—“ Cipher said in between loud shrieks of laughter, “—I would give up my _ship_ and my _men,_ for a _fish_?”

Dipper felt something break inside him. If he had any hope left, it vanished with the last sentence he heard Bill say. He wanted to yell at him, to protest, to swear at his name. But no sound came out of his mouth. Just a silent sob, followed by a tear, which appeared to be the last drop of water inside him. Bill wouldn’t say that, would he? He wasn’t capable of letting him die like this, right? There was only so much Dipper knew about the blond man standing in front of him, and of those two things he wasn’t at all certain. Or at least, he didn’t want to believe he was wrong. Nevertheless, Dipper felt devastated, betrayed, _broken_. He knew wasn’t dead yet, but he felt lifeless already. 

“You’ve truly hit rock bottom, Cain,” Bill told him, looking uninterested, “I thought you were smarter.”

And in a split second, Cain pulled the trigger.

Dipper closed his eyes with all the strength he had left.

Wait.

He wasn’t dead yet, was he?

He slowly opened his eyes. 

“What the fuck is wrong with this gun?!” Cain growled, pulling the trigger repeatedly. The weapon appeared to be jammed. He pointed it away from the siren and to the floor, when it suddenly decided to go off. The bullet went right through his foot. Fueled with anger, Cain fired his gun once again, just that this time, it was pointed at Bill.

The bullet flew at its pointed direction, then abruptly stopped mid-air. Hellhound had his hand outstretched.

 _Did Hellhound just stop a bullet?,_ Dipper wondered. And that was his last thought before his muscles gave in and his head fell to his chest.

“I thought you knew it would take you more than one try to kill me,” Bill said proudly, grabbing the bullet that was suspended in the air and examining it, “and if you thought you would _ever_ get away with my ship _,_ my crew _,_ and _my siren,_ you truly are the most foolish man I know.”

“Don’t kill him,” Cipher continued, addressing to Hellhound, but loud enough for everyone else in the ship to hear, “I need the traitor alive. Until he prays this bullet would’ve killed him right now instead.” 

Bill threw the bullet into the air once again, Hellhound made a swift movement with his hand and sent the bullet flying right into Cain’s knee. The man swore in pain, falling to the floor. Cain’s crew was shocked, they didn’t understand what was happening, not knowing what to do.

Cipher’s crew looked him, waiting for his command.

“For the rest of the crew, I couldn’t care less,” the blond captain said, “have fun.”

And with that, Cipher’s men roared and launched forward to a fight. Each battling with a different weapon, in a different way, against a different pirate. Bill had already sprinted to untie Dipper, trusting his men to cover for him. Cain kept trying to fire his gun, but Hellhound magically lifted it off his hand and threw it into the ocean.

Bill cut the tight ropes as fast as he could with a small knife he had on his boot and helped Dipper down. The siren’s skin was boiling, and he wasn’t responding to his name. Was Bill too late?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! First of all, I have been planning this chapter for SOOO long it turned out to be so much longer than the other chapters I've written (4,300 words long)!! So, I decided to divide it into two, making chapter 10 an immediate continuation of this one. 
> 
> This chap was such a rollercoaster, huh? Fair warning, the ride is only starting *mischievous laughter*  
> What a tricky and stressful situation these pirates got themselves into, right?
> 
> In the next chapter I'll also answer all the questions you must have about how the fuck did Hellhound manage to stop a bullet and have some sort of telekinetic powers. All your questions shall be answered, my children. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. I'm so very happy many of you are enjoying it!! Again, tell me what you think, what do you think will happen, what was your favorite or least favorite scene, Cain is such a hateable character, am i right? 
> 
> Anyways, next update will be sooner because I just need to re-edit it, see you then :)


	10. Chapter 10

As soon as Dipper was completely untied, Bill carried him to the Golden Giant.

His whole body hung weakly over Bill's arms, so much it almost looked like water drooling over the pirate's arms

“Red!” Bill yelled exasperatedly as he stepped on his ship, “What do I do?! I don’t think he’s breathing.”

Red’s eyes began to shoot to different directions, thinking of everything he knew that could help. Dipper’s state was fatal, his skin was severely sunburnt, his lips looked dusty, his body was completely limp, and his blue tail was absurdly dry, even for the trails of blood.

“Dipper’s main problem is dehydration,” Red said quickly, “the wounds can wait. He needs to get into the ocean!”

“I can’t dump him into the sea, he can’t swim, he’s knocked out!” Bill replied urgently, walking over to the closest edge of the ship.

“I…“ Red thought as fast as he could, “Maybe he’ll swim when he wakes up?”

 _If… he wakes up._ Bill thought at the back of his mind but tried to shake the feeling of uneasiness. _No, he has to wake up. I’ll make sure of it._

“I can’t take that risk!” The blond exclaimed. He knew that with each minute that passed, the probabilities that Dipper would wake up decreased.

_Think fast, think fast, think f—_

“Red, hold Dipper,” Bill ordered as soon as he got an idea, Red did as told. For Red, Dipper was a lot more heavy than for Bill, but he held on nonetheless. The captain quickly took his boots, hat, and weapons off. He also opened the wooden hatch at the edge of the ship’s wall, leaving a clear opening to the ocean. Red looked at him puzzled, hoping the captain wasn’t planning on doing what he thought he was doing. Then, Cipher took Dipper into his arms again, adjusting him into a more secure position.

“Stay there, in case I need you,” the captain told Red as he started to walk hurriedly to the center of the ship.

“You aren’t going to jump, are you?!” Red shouted in fear, “Captain, there’s a chance fall could kill you!”

“I’m willing to take those chances,” and with that, Bill launched towards the open hatch and jumped into the water with the siren in his arms. Red didn’t know, but Bill had done this too many times before, he knew how to land. Pirates always thought the fall would kill the blond, but if Captain Bill Cipher ever died, it would most certainly not be by a fall into the ocean.

Bill came out the water to breathe, still hugging Dipper tightly. He placed the siren’s arms around his neck, trying to make it harder for Dipper to slip out of his grip. Bill was trying to breathe properly, but not being able to swim with his arms plus carrying a passed out siren didn’t make it easy.

“You won’t be able to hold on to Dipper!” Red called out from the edge of the ship, still shocked by the captain’s determination. Cipher looked up at his direction, coughing out saltwater he just swallowed, “If neither of you can swim, in a few minutes you’ll drown! Your body is going to get tired and sink!”

Bill’s mind was racing.

_Sinking._

“You’re a genius!” Bill yelled, “How long can a human hold their breath underwater?!”

“What?! Captain, you don’t mean—“

“Answer the question!” Cipher snapped, he couldn’t keep swimming and breathing much longer.

“Uh, the average is one to two minutes!”

“I can work with that,” Bill said, less loudly.

Then, he took in the most air his lungs could hold and stopped swimming.

Cipher still kept his body tight against the siren’s as they sunk, his amber eyes closed tightly. He felt Dipper’s tail move effortlessly by the water currents. He buried his face in Dipper’s chest, trying to hear his heartbeat. The silence surrounding them made it easier to pay attention to any other sound. But as much as Bill could hear, there was no noise coming from the siren’s chest.

_I should’ve been there sooner._

Bill grabbed Dipper’s hair with one hand while he hugged him by the waist with the other, gently twirling his hair between his fingers.

_Please wake up, Pine Tree. Please come back. Please be alive._

Nothing.

The knot in Bill’s throat began to form once again. Why was he so affected by this? He had never felt so driven by emotion. It must’ve been because the siren trusted him since the beginning and he let him down. That must be it.

He held Dipper tighter, caressing his hair gently. The siren's arms were still wrapped around Bill’s shoulders, but they were floating loosely. His whole body was slack, easy to slip away from, but Bill wouldn’t let that happen. The blond just begged to feel Pine Tree hug him back.

Bill noticed how the siren’s body moved so naturally with the water, it almost felt as if he was hugging water itself. It was so calming, yet the circumstances were so chaotic that they drowned all the peacefulness out of Bill’s mind.

After a few more moments, the blond tried to swim back up to get some air. He hadn’t noticed how deep they had been sinking. Even as hard as it was, he tried his best to swim upwards, still holding onto Dipper. He wasn’t going to let go until he woke up.

 _What if he doesn't wake up?_  Bill's mind kept circling back to that unpleasant thought, but he shook it away,  _He has to wake up._

Bill gasped for air as soon as his head popped out of the water.

“Sir, those were three minutes!” Red yelled when he saw the blond’s face come out the water. The boy had been counting out loud to calm his nerves, only for it to result with the exact opposite. “Take a breath! Did Dipper…?”

Without a warning, Bill inhaled as much air as he could and submerged his head once again. He could hardly hear Red yell after him, telling him to stop and breathe for a few more minutes before going back down.

But Bill wouldn’t wait any more minutes. He couldn’t. He had already made the siren wait for too long, he was in the verge of death. He wasn’t going to make him wait anymore.

The pair began sinking again. Bill’s lungs were tired, but he wouldn’t give in. He buried his face in Dipper’s chest once more, waiting for a sign of life. Any sign.

They sunk in silence. He felt a few fish swim by, thinking it was Dipper waking up, just to get disappointed every time.

Cipher was almost beginning to fall asleep. Letting go of all the air inside his lungs and inhaling all the water surrounding him started to feel like a great idea. But his thoughts were suddenly interrupted.

He heard a barely audible _thump_ inside the siren’s chest. But it was so incredibly low, Bill wasn’t sure he heard what he thought he heard.

He tried to place his ear closer to where Dipper’s heart should be.

Thump…

Thump…

Bill felt his own heart race, he couldn’t help but slightly smile.

_He’s alive! Oh, thank god he’s alive!_

Then, he felt the arms around his neck lightly tighten their grip. The tail below him started to move slowly, however this time it wasn’t caused by the current.

Bill felt Pine Tree’s head shift a little. From what he could feel, Pine Tree was awake and clearly confused. The siren detached his hands from Bill’s neck, although the blond continued to hold him by the waist. Then, he felt Dipper’s hands delicately touch his face, making Bill’s stomach flutter with happiness. After that, the siren hugged Bill again.

The captain didn’t know who felt safer there, the siren or himself.

They stayed there for a few more moments, then, the siren started to swim upwards until they reached the surface. Bill gasped for air, inhaling a great amount of oxygen. He finally opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Dipper, though he couldn’t read his expression. They detached their hands from each other and swam a little apart.

Bill noticed his crew had lowered a rowboat into the ocean for them, so he swam towards it and grabbed its edge, finally able to rest. Dipper stayed where he was, utterly quiet.

“Dipper!” Red yelled from the top of the ship, a few more heads popped out of the edge of the ship. Apparently, the crew had finally finished fighting the other ship and were now waiting impatiently for their captain and siren friend to come out the water. They cheered with joy, applauding and hugging themselves.

“Pine Tree,” Bill began, concern and honestly in his expression, “I shouldn’t have let that monster close to you. It was all my fault.”

Dipper only listened. Bill noticed he looked troubled, still pretty shocked, and somewhat sad.

“I thought I lost you,” Bill whispered, reaching out to touch Dipper, but the siren immediately swam out of his grip, afraid, “I should’ve been there for you sooner.”

After a long pause, the blond continued, “I understand if you want to leave,” he confessed, his hand was still outstretched in Dipper’s direction, “but please, let me take that necklace off your neck first.”

The siren thought for a second. Then slowly swam towards Bill. He tilted his head to touch the pirate’s hand with his cheek, breathing in and closing his eyes.

When he was close enough, Cipher removed the black pearl necklace from the siren’s neck and tossed it into the boat.

“I should’ve taken that thing off a long time ago,” Bill whispered to himself, but Dipper could definitely hear him.

The brunet stayed close to the other pirate, still not responding to anything he said.

They stated into each other’s eyes for a long time. Bill was still breathing rather heavily, his lungs were exhausted, and Dipper still looked beat up.

The siren tried to pay close attention to the blond’s expression. He surely seemed ashamed, but more than anything, _guilty._ And the siren knew _that_ was not an easy feeling or expression to fake.

“I thought…” Dipper finally spoke, pain staining his voice, “I thought you were going to let me die.”

“Never,” Bill replied almost immediately.

“Why?” Dipper asked in a low whisper.

 _Because you’re important to me,_ Cipher thought, _and I don’t remember the last time I felt this way about someone._

“Because you are one of us, and I will be as loyal to you as I am to any other member of my crew,” the blond decided to say.

Dipper thought about what the other said in silence.

“I also, uh,” Cipher babbled, having trouble with words, “want to apologize.” God, why was this so hard? “For all the rude things I said. They were only to deceive the traitor, but I… recognize they must have hurt a lot.” Cipher admitted, looking down, “You know I would risk anything to save you— to save any of my crew.”

Bill’s heart was racing. Why was he so concerned about what Dipper would say? Why did he care so much whether or not the siren would forgive him?

After long moments of silence and no response, the blond decided to continue, “You may leave if you want to. You’ve been through enough already and we haven’t even begun to sail towards the Bermuda Triangle. Swim away now before it’s too late.”

Dipper stared at Bill with confusion.

“Do you really mean that?” The siren asked after a long pause.

“Yes, you can go,” Cipher said, managing to smile slightly, “I won’t get mad about it, I promise.”

“I was referring to your apology,” Dipper said, shaking his head.

“Oh,” Bill said, taken aback, Pine Tree was still thinking about that, huh? “I meant every word.”

Dipper’s mind seemed to be consumed in thought. Bill didn’t want to rush him, but he was impatient to know what the other was going to say or do next. Was he going to accept his apology? Was he going to stay? Or was he going to swim away and forget all about him?

The wait seemed to be making the captain’s stomach hurt. Was the great Bill Cipher nervous? No, it couldn’t be. He was probably getting seasick and should get on the rowboat. That made sense, right?

Bill was almost as consumed in thought as Dipper. So much he didn’t realize when the siren began to calmly swim a little closer to him. The blond instantly froze, even his breathing decreased. The siren stared into the other’s sunset-trapped eyes, then at his lips. Then, he looked back at Bill’s eyes, which now appeared to be in a sort of trance.

“Thank you for saving me,” Dipper said, and with that, he vanished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you ask: No! Of course this is not the last chapter!!! I just wanted to leave y'all in a cliff hanger, haha sorry not sorry.
> 
> Once again, thank you for reading! Tell me what you liked the most, and what you think will happen next. Also, what do you think about Bill's feelings? *cough* I mean, Bill's "sea sickness" *cough* Looks like the pirate doesn't even understand what is happening to him, huh? Let me know what you think! 
> 
> Until next update :)


	11. Chapter 11

And just like that, Bill was left alone. He didn’t understand why he felt so devastated about the siren deciding to go, he knew the decision was going to be obvious. He didn’t expect for Pine Tree to actually stay, he just hoped he had. In the end, no one wanted to stay. 

Then, why was he so surprised, so  _disappointed?_  

In any case, there was nothing he could do anymore, Pine Tree was gone and Bill was never going to see him again. The siren probably wanted to forget all about him. Only bad things had happened to him since he got tangled up with the pirates. No wonder he wanted to leave.

Bill stayed there silent, trying to process all that just happened. Trying to get the idea into his head that he wasn’t going to see Pine Tree again. He looked at the water around him as if expecting to see the siren come back out again. But he knew he was only fooling himself.

The blond sighed and turned to the rowboat. He pushed himself into the boat, which almost turned over himself, but as it was still fastened with the ropes coming from the ship, he managed to get in it after a few tries. 

His clothes and hair were completely soaked, and he was beginning to ask himself once again why had he done all of that for a siren.

_Because he was one of us. He was… a friend._

The last word echoed in his mind. He considered his crew to be his family, very close friends. But those relationships took a great amount of work and trust, a matter of years! However, with Pine Tree, it took less than a month. Bill couldn’t even begin to understand how that happened.

 _Just forget it,_ Bill told himself,  _in a few days you’ll forget all about him._ He tried to convince himself, even when at the back of his mind he knew he wouldn't forget so easily about the siren.

“Captain! Where’s Dipper?” Red called from the top of the ship, interrupting Cipher’s thoughts.

“I let him go,” Bill replied, rather bitterly, looking up at the pirates above him. His crew gasped and stared at their captain with wide eyes.

“What?!” Tiny exclaimed, so surprised he almost fell into the water. Red grabbed him by the shoulders and got him further away from the ship’s edge.

“Maybe it was for the best,” Dawn said, however, disappointment was still tinted in her voice.

“Are we never going to see him again? Like not  _ever?!”_ Tiny asked paranoid, not minding Dawn’s statement. Seems like Bill wasn’t the only one shocked.

“I don’t think we will,” Bill sighed, looking down.

There was a long pause. None of the pirates on the ship dared to ask Cipher how the decision was made, why the siren had left, or what had happened below the water. They just stood there, staring at the rowboat and the calm ocean, perplexed.

“You might want to bet on that!” Cheat exclaimed, quite eagerly. 

His voice tone made Bill look up, confused. By the time he turned to face the ocean he heard a splash.

It all happened so fast Bill barely had time to register. He caught glimpse of a siren with a familiar light blue tail and brunet hair jumping out of the water. Their chest was facing the sky, hands outstretched above their head, and body arching into an almost perfect circle before going right back into the water. It was so graceful, it looked unreal. 

Bill’s jaw dropped slightly, not realizing he gasped at the sight. His eyes were also wide as his brows had risen naturally. 

Above him, most of the crew cheered, and some others, like Bill, just stared in awe.

A few moments later the siren responsible for the splash came out of the water, oh so beautifully, Bill immediately closed his mouth and gulped. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His blonde brows stayed arched, and his eyes continued to stare completely wide, blinking a few times.

“It’s going to take you much more convincing to make me turn back now, captain,” Dipper said with a small smile forming on his lips. 

Bill couldn’t help but return a warm smile, then tried to hide it the very moment after it escaped his lips. He quickly adjusted his brows and eyes to return to their normal half-lidded arrogant stare.

“Good to have you back, Pine Tree,” he replied, trying to make his voice a little cocky, or at least as normal as it could sound, finishing with a touch of his usual sly smirk, “looks like you’re feeling better, aren't cha?”

“Don’t let the looks deceive you,” Dipper replied, swimming closer to the boat, “I still feel like the life was punched out of me. That jump is a sort of siren tradition, it’s supposed to be the way we show gratitude or, well, happiness.”

“Happy to see your captain again, I reckon,” Cipher teased, making the siren’s cheeks flush to a light pink hue. The blond smirked, proud of the outcome, not waiting for an answer, “well, we’re all glad you’re back, kid.”

“I never left,” Dipper said with a small smile on his lips. He opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted with more loud cheers and applauses from above the ship. He looked up and his smile grew larger. He happily waved at the pirates above him. Cheat had Tiny on his shoulders, both of them cheering the loudest. 

Dipper knew he had made the right decision by staying. Even if he had spent such little time with the crew, he knew they did care about him, and he had never felt that with any of the other sirens back home. 

The pirates right above him had just saved his life, then even fought to avenge him. Dipper’s not including the part where his life was in danger in the first place because of them, but still. They fought for him, even if Dipper’s death would not affect their lives on the absolute minimum, or so though the siren.

However, the crew wasn’t the only reason why Dipper stayed. Something intrigued him, and it wasn’t about what laid on the other side of the Bermuda Triangle. Or rather than something,  _someone_. He had decided to stay because the blond pirate that was looking up at his crew and grinning at that very moment made him curious. Dipper has been forever driven by the unknown, and the charming man next to him was the literal embodiment of a mystery. Dipper knew Cipher hid countless secrets and stories behind his smirk, and he wanted to uncover all of them. He was fascinated by the captain, he made him feel lightheaded and fuzzy sometimes, and he couldn’t quite understand why that was. So, naturally, he wanted to find out what the pirate had that attracted his attention like a magnet. 

Dipper could’ve left right then and there, but he didn’t  _want_  to.

“Hello?” Bill continuously snapped his fingers in front of the siren. Dipper had zoned out, deep in thought, “Pine Tree, did you hear anything I just said?”

Dipper shook his head and swam closer to the rowboat, placing his arms in its margins and resting his face on them, giving Bill his full attention. 

“Red and Hellhound are repairing the shell necklace that transforms you into a human,” Bill said, a bit annoyed for having to repeat everything all over again, “however, it’s going to take at least twenty four hours until it’s fixed completely so it can be used again safely.” 

Bill sighed and continued, “In any case, we can use that time to get  _you_ fixed up.”

Dipper stared at Bill in question, what exactly did he mean? 

Bill seemed to have read his mind, because he replied, “To heal you.”

“Oh,” the siren said, “and how are you going to do that?”

“What if instead of telling you, I just show you?” Bill said with a sly smirk.

The captain made a gesture with his hand and the pirates on the ship lowered a large bucket with some items inside, down to Cipher’s reach. The blond grabbed the bucket and set it down on the rowboat, spiking the siren’s interest. Dipper tried to get a better look at the inside of the bucket, but he didn’t manage to.

At once, Bill spilled all of what was inside the object into the rowboat, behind one of the wooden board seats, leaving the bucket empty. Dipper didn’t understand why Bill did that but didn’t question his decision.

Bill walked nearer to the edge, closer to the siren. He lowered the bucket into the ocean and filled it with water. Then, he proceeded to empty it into the rowboat.

“What are you doing?” Dipper asked he couldn’t hold his doubts any longer.

“Well I can’t heal you up while you’re underwater, but I’m not stupid enough to do it on a dry surface either.” The captain said, filling the bucket with more water and dropping it into the boat once again.

After there was a reasonable amount of water on the boat, he stopped. It was a large enough puddle so whoever sat down would have their legs completely covered by the water. The boat was also considerably lower into the ocean, sinking a little bit because of the water, but Cipher didn’t seem to worry about it in the slightest. 

“Now, get in here,” the captain commanded. 

Dipper thought about how he would manage to do that, but before he came into a decision, Bill offered his arms to help. 

After a few rather awkward attempts, the pair managed to succeed. Dipper was now laying in the middle of the rowboat, a little nervous.

Bill sat down in one of the wooden boards, opposite to Dipper and closer to his tail. He took a few breathes and stared at the siren’s damaged tail. Then, he began to look behind him for the objects he had tossed away. Dipper just watched, not moving a muscle.

“Do your scales grow back?” The blond asked, still looking for whatever he was looking for.

“Yes, but it takes some time,” Dipper replied, gazing down at the two wounds on his tail. It sent shivers down his spine, he didn’t want to think too much about what had just happened to him.

“Not so bad news, then,” Bill replied, grabbing the now wet cloth and two glass bottles with questionable substances. 

He stood up and walked over to the middle of the rowboat, where the siren was laying and sat down beside his tail. 

“I’ll clean the wounds, then close them,” Cipher said after he noticed the look of terror Pine Tree was giving him, “it'll stop the bleeding and help them not to become infected.”

Bill looked at Dipper, waiting for a sign of his approval before moving into cleaning the wounds. The siren slightly nodded, trusting whatever the other thought was best. The blond proceeded to gently stroke the dried-up bloodstains with the wet cloth. Whenever he got closer to the wound, Dipper hissed and jerked his tail in the opposite direction.

“I’m trying to be as careful as possible, but I won’t promise you it won’t sting.” Bill said, glaring at Dipper in the eye, “I’ll try my best on doing it gently, but only if you try your best to endure the pain too.”

Dipper swallowed and nodded, closing his eyes. He moved his tail to its original position and tried to think about something else than the aching he was feeling wherever the other pirate touched. 

At that moment, Bill was cleaning the wound where Cain had taken out the scale with one quick move. He guessed that the other wound was going to be much harder to clean up, judging by how worse it looked. 

“Did Hellhound stop a bullet? Or was I so close to death that I hallucinated it?” Dipper asked between his teeth, still trying to concentrate on something else.

“He  _did_  stop a bullet. It’s always been our secret weapon.” Bill replied, opening one of the glass bottles and pouring a few drops of the green liquid into the open wound. It made a ‘ _tss’_ sound when it touched the flesh, and caused little steam to come out our it. The siren immediately groaned out in pain. “Nearly done.”

“And how did he manage to stop the bullet?” Dipper asked, pain stinging his voice.

“It wouldn’t be a secret weapon if I told you, would it?” Bill replied as he opened the other glass bottle and again, poured some red drops into the wound. This time, steam didn’t come out of it, and instead of making Dipper cry in pain, he sighed in relief. The ache that the wound was causing suddenly stopped.

“What was that?” The siren asked, finally opening his eyes. The wound that was bleeding and completely open a few seconds ago was now clean and almost unnoticeable. 

“I did as I told you,” Bill said, not wasting a second before moving into cleaning the other wound, “I cleaned it, disinfected it, then used a potion to close it and ease the pain.”

“I didn’t know you were such a good nurse,” Dipper joked, closing his eyes tightly as Bill’s fingers got closer to his other open wound.

“I’m great at everything, Pine Tree,” Bill chuckled. 

The pirate had tried to touch the wound the least he could. It was clear it was deep and severe. Pine Tree’s tail flinched every time he got nearer to where it was completely open, hissing in pain. Bill decided to clean it with one quick swipe, no matter how painful it was going to be. The sooner he finished the better. 

Dipper cried out, clenching his jaw.

 _He’s almost done,_  Dipper repeated in his head, _he’s almost done, he’s almost—_

“AAGH!” He yelled Bill had just splashed the throbbing wound with the first liquid. 

Soon enough, the blond poured the healing potion into the wound and the aching stopped. 

Dipper sighed in relief and slowly opened his eyes, letting his muscles relax.

“Thank you,” he said out of breath, looking at the man in front of him.

Bill didn’t believe he deserved the siren’s gratitude, so he just silently nodded and looked away.

After that, Cipher walked closer to Dipper’s face and sat right beside him. He gently wetted the cloth with the green liquid and gently pushed the siren’s brunet hair back.

“That’s an interesting birthmark you got there, Pine Tree,” Bill said with a smirk, placing the cloth on the place where Cain had smashed the glass bottle. Dipper pouted, he didn’t like anyone to see his birthmark. He didn’t necessarily feel ashamed by it, he just wasn’t too fond of it either, so he rather not show anyone why he had such a peculiar nickname.

Suddenly, Bill gasped in realization, “That’s the reason they call you Dipper!” Bill exclaimed with a laugh, “That’s why your the old man called you M—“

“I know my name, thanks.” Dipper sourly. Bill’s grin just grew larger when he noticed the siren didn’t like his real name too much.

“Not a fan of your name, Mason?” Bill teased, making the siren cringe so hard he forgot about the pain on his forehead.

“I don’t owe you explanations,” Dipper said, annoyed, “and I would appreciate it if you didn’t call me by my real name, William.”

Bill’s eye twitched involuntarily. Dipper’s plan worked, and Bill knew it. The pirate decided to just forget all about the last minute that had just happened. 

The blond finished cleaning Dipper’s forehead and proceeded to work on the bruises on his chest. This time, instead of wetting the cloth with the mysterious green liquid, he soaked it with the red one. He carefully patted the siren’s chest with the old rag.

They had a few small conversations, talking about not too important things. However, none of them dared to mention the events that had happened that morning. 

During the long silences, Bill continued to wonder about the reason he risked his own life to save the siren. And Dipper pondered on what the pirate had that made him stay.

Sooner or later, the sun started to set, the pair had eaten on the small rowboat as they chatted about insignificant things that the siren was curious about humans. There was a point where Cipher almost hoped Dipper never stopped chewing so he could stop bombarding him with questions about pirate behavior and customs. They enjoyed each other’s company, even if the circumstances could be better. 

When the sky was completely dark, only a few stars decided to show up. Clouds painted the black sky a grey color that was not always seen. It also got considerably colder. Dipper wasn’t at all bothered, as he was a literal cold-blooded creature whose’s skin was made to bare freezing temperatures. Cipher, on the other hand, as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was a little cold. More because he was soaking wet by cold water.

However, he refused to sleep on board, no matter how many times his crew and Dipper told him to sleep in his cabin. Nothing and no one could make him change his mind. 

So he settled down.

He was laying opposite to Dipper, his light blue tail brushing against his right arm. Both of them stared at the stars quietly until they fell asleep. 

In the middle of the night, Dipper woke up with a tearing gasp, making Bill jump.

“What happened?!” Cipher exclaimed, forgetting he was laying on a rowboat for a moment.

“Please don’t let him kill me!” Dipper begged between dreadful shivers repeatedly. He started realizing where he was and that he had been dreaming. None the less, he contracted his tail and brought it closer to his chest, hugging it firmly.

“You’re safe, Pine Tree, I’m here,” Bill said, getting closer to him and sitting down beside him, “I will never let anyone do anything to you.”

“But they already did,” Dipper said without thinking, tears stinging his eyes.

Bill stared in silence. Dipper was right. 

And Bill hated himself for it.

“And it was all my fault,” Cipher admitted with a low tone, “but I promise you, I will never let anyone harm you ever again.”

“How can you be so sure?” Dipper asked, his mind running a hundred miles per hour, chest heaving up and down. His breathing wasn’t slowing.

The pirate gently placed his hand on the siren’s arm, making him look up at him. Then, he said, “I never break a promise. No one will ever hurt you again.”

The brunet digested what the other said, his breathing only partially slowed, but he was on the verge of having a panic attack. 

“Pine Tree, look at me,” Bill said, trying to get the terror-stricken siren, “breathe in,” Dipper did as told, “now breathe out.”

The pirate repeated the process out loud until Dipper’s breathing steadied more. 

“Now,” Bill continued, still with a calm voice, “tell me three things you can see.”

Right when Dipper was about to protest, Cipher added, “Just tell me.”

The siren thought for a moment then looked up, “The grey clouds, those three stars, and the Golden Giant.”

“Okay, now tell me three things you can smell.” The blond said, watching attentively as the siren slowly closed his eyes and breathe in.

“The saltiness of the sea,” he breathed in again, “the wood from the boat,” one more time, “and the stain of rum from your shirt.”

“The stain of rum I got thanks to you, might I add,” Bill completed chuckling slightly.

Dipper’s lips formed a very small smile, chest calming down a little more. 

“It’s not my fault you decided to take a sip of rum right when I sneezed,” the siren said.

“Well, it’s not my fault you sneezed right when I took a sip of my rum,” Cipher argued, “and how was I supposed to know your sneeze was almost going to tilt the ship!”

Dipper lightly giggled, then shook his head. 

Even after the short conversation, Bill noticed Dipper’s arms were still a little shaky, so he continued to talk, “Three things you can hear.”

Dipper concentrated once more, unconsciously slowing down his breathing, “The ocean’s waves far away, the low creaking of the ship, and your voice.”

Bill’s stomach clenched slightly at that last part. That was weird.

“Now three things you can touch,” Cipher said, staring blankly at the brunet.

He saw Pine Tree’s eyes flicker from one place to the other, then move his hands slowly. Dipper placed one of his hands on the edge of the ship, “The rowboat,” he said, then gently touched the water below him, “the cold water,” after that, he took a long pause. 

He then became aware of Bill’s hand laying on his other arm, “and your skin.” He proceeded to smoothly trace the blond’s fingers, wrist and arm with his fingers, lost in his thoughts.

Bill widened his eyes and didn’t notice he had stopped breathing, “And finally,” he said, clearing his throat, “three things you can taste.”

Dipper stopped brushing his fingers against Bill’s skin, and Bill didn’t know if he was thankful or heartbroken by it.

“The rum,” the siren finally spoke, looking at the glass bottle opposite to him, “the leftovers from dinner,” he paused.

He took a long time to answer, or so Bill felt. He was beaming at Pine Tree. He was waiting for one  _specific_  answer. One answer that would change everything. Yet, he didn’t know what he would do if Dipper gave him the answer he didn’t want to accept he wanted.

His eyes were fixed at the siren’s lips. 

And he hadn’t realized he had been getting closer to them either.

 _Two words,_ Cipher thought,  _tell me what else can you taste?_

While the blond continued to stare at the brunet’s lips, finding himself wondering how they tasted as he waited for an answer, Dipper furrowed his eyebrows, deep in thought. 

The siren hadn’t realized the gap between Bill’s mouth and his had been closing either.

Dipper finally turned to look at the pirate, his sight flickering into the other’s lips. 

“There’s still an aftertaste of blood in my mouth,” Dipper said, not completely aware of what staring at each other’s lips meant.

Cipher knew he would hate himself over it, but he knew it was not the right time. Maybe it would never be. Why did he want to do that anyway?

Bill retreated his head to his normal posture.

“Do you feel better, Pine Tree?” the pirate asked, trying to shake off the feeling of regret.

“I think I do,” the siren replied, breathing steadily, “thank you.”

“Anytime,” Bill said with a sigh, then laid on a more comfortable position beside the siren. Dipper copied his movements.

Both of them slowly drifted into sleep, close to each other.

Watching from above, Dawn and Red observed the other two as they fell asleep, noticing how they unconsciously got closer to each other’s bodies looking for comfort and warmth.

“You don’t think Dipper is controlling him, do you?” Red asked Dawn, the captain’s behavior seemed to be too odd for him.

After a few seconds of silence, Dawn replied, “The only thing that’s controlling our captain is his feelings.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot thank you enough for the amount of patience you've got. I am so incredibly sorry for taking so long, I have so many things to do I don't even have enough time to sleep. I'm so happy I finally got to update the story, I hate leaving you hanging for so long. Also, thank you to the ones who asked about me and how I was doing, I just have an immense amount of overwork, lol. I'll be okay, I'm looking forward to christmas vacations.
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter and keep reading the story, although I might warn you it will take me probably a month to update it again. I would appreciate it enormously if you staid. 
> 
> Tell me your opinions! I love to read your comments.


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